The General's New Bride
by Wynja
Summary: Robin lives a happy life with his father and siblings, until one day when his father has some news concerning one of his sisters... AU, Jane Austen-esque story.
1. Part 1

**A/N** : Welcome to this year's December story! It won't be posted every day, instead I'm gonna post long chapters once to twice a week. I don't have a posting schedule as of yet, however… As I write this it's the 29'th of November and the story isn't finished… I have 6-7 chapters of it, though, so I think I'll be able to finish it on tie. It won't be much longer than that, as all chapters (so far) are 10+ pages.

I've been thinking about this story, in different version, for YEARS. Well, it's been popping up now and then, I haven't PLANNED it for that long. In my mind I've called it "my Jane Austen story". It is an AU taking place in that approximate time period somewhere in England BUT I won't bother with much geography at all. If you don't like AU's then try reading it as simply and original story, you might enjoy it even more that way.

While reading bear in mind two things:

1\. The views on women and women's roles weren't the BEST back then… it doesn't NECESSARILY mean that the person saying something is a complete ass-hat/stupid; he/she may simply be a child of their time.

2\. Not EVERYTHING is as in good old England, let's just say some social constructs have been altered for the sake of this story. You'll find out.

Now; enjoy! (hopefully) AND DO NOT FORGET TO REVIEW! This has cost me many hours of time, a few seconds of yours is really not much to ask in return I don't think. Thank you! (If you are reading this in 2016 or later, that is, after it's finished, then just leave a review by the end, no need to review every chapter! ;) As I'm writing it right now, though, current reviews help motivate me and who knows, there might be ideas I will have time to use…)

Also, thank you to **Aikino** for helping me beta at least the first parts of the story (and maybe more depending on circumstances).

 **The General's New Bride**

 **Part 1**

"I don't want to hear another word. One of you _has_ to marry the general," Bruce Wayne said sternly, looking at his daughters.

"But father, you said I would be allowed to study!" Raven objected.

"And I can't! My heart belongs to another!" Starfire sobbed. "Father, please!"

"Our houses would both benefit from the union. General Wilson is looking for a new bride, and he's going to choose one of you. I'm sorry, my daughters, I did want your hearts to choose your future husbands, but with today's politics… we might be on the brink of civil war, we simply _can't_ afford to be without the support of House Wilson."

"Then _you_ marry him!" Raven cried out before turning around and fleeing. Starfire, who always wanted to please the ones she loved looked heartbroken. She curtsied shallowly to her father and hurried away, her sobs echoing through the stone halls.

"This break my heart too," Lord Wayne sighed.

"Father?" Robin, his second youngest son, spoke up unsurely.

The man startled and looked up. "Robin! What are you doing up there? Get down at once!"

The young, limber boy dropped from one of the roof beams which crisscrossed the high ceiling and landed softly on the floor below, looking slightly guilty.

"I'm sorry, father, I didn't know you were coming in here. I didn't mean to overhear."

"Well, you would have heard later today in any case. I hope you understand? Times are… difficult."

Robin nodded solemnly. "We're all grateful to you for taking us in," he said. "Things will work out, I am sure."

"You, who always seem to hear things you shouldn't, could you tell me who has captured Starfire's heart this week?" Bruce asked his son, ruffling the black locks affectionately.

"The miller's boy," the young man grinned.

"I see. General Wilson is a handsome man, though. I hope he can distract her fickle heart. He's also an intellectual, who praises science even above the church, so I am hoping that will appeal to Raven. We'll see."

"He's old, though, isn't he? And hasn't he lost an eye?"

"He's just slightly older than I am," Robin's father answered, a bit put off. "He must seem old to you, I assume, but he's a man in his prime."

"You're not old, I'm sorry," the young man tried to amend. "But the eye? Does he have a terrible scar?"

"A battle wound is nothing to be ashamed of," Lord Wayne lectured his son grimly. "And I don't possess a woman's eyes, but I think it's safe to say it doesn't mar his features much."

"Sorry," Robin said, hanging his head slightly.

"Yes, yes, run along now. Try to find your little brother; he's probably in the stables again."

"Yes, a cat just had kittens!" Robin announced, like it was the most important piece of news to come out of the county for a month.

"Well, well, I assume I'll be hearing all about that at supper. Now, I have some correspondence to take care of. I think we're going to leave your sisters alone for now."

"When will the general arrive?" Robin asked.

"In three days," his father sighed. "I have been putting it off, telling them the news. We'll have to be on our best behavior, though. You realize that, don't you?"

"I do, Father," Robin answered seriously.

"With Victor away you are the oldest son in the house, we can't have you climbing around the place like a monkey."

"No, Sir."

"And no spying on people!"

"No, Sir."

"Good. Not even to find out who took the last cookie."

"Father, I am an adult, you know!" the young man objected.

"Well… almost," Lord Wayne smiled affectionately and ruffled his son's hair once more.

"It's not my fault that I'm short," Robin muttered.

"You're not short, you just happen to have a very tall brother."

"But Garfield is almost as tall as me, and he's three years younger!" the boy complained. "Even my sisters are taller!"

"You have some growing to do yet, I'm sure," his father smiled. "You're only sixteen. Now run along," the man repeated.

Robin sighed. His father was obviously far from considering him an adult, but maybe it was partly his fault too… climbing around the rafters like that. He had difficulties being still for long, though, apart from when he was reading. Studying could keep his attention for hours, but then he needed action! The only reason that he hadn't tried to run away to join the army was that Victor, his older brother who had joined a year ago, had written about how boring it was to stay put and wait for orders. It was a time of peace, although tense, but the army wasn't a place for individual initiative and action either way, so Robin had decided it wasn't for him. Being an explorer was more up his alley. Or join the law enforcement in some big city. Maybe dig up ancient graves and buildings in some foreign land… Well, he did have plenty of time to decide what he wanted to do with his future; his studies wouldn't be finished for another two years or so.

"Gar?" Robin called out softly. It was dark in the stables, and the young man knew better than to disturb the animals.

"Over here, come look!" a young, excited voice answered.

Robin joined his little brother in admiring the kittens for a while. The boy with his brown-blond hair and olive skin looked quite exotic, but so did all the children of the manor in one way or the other. His big bright green eyes lit up when there was a sound behind them.

"Cute little buggers ain't them?"

"They sure are, Red," Robin grinned at the young man who had appeared next to them. The stable boy had a year or two on him and they had been friends since they were little kids. Lord Wayne had allowed it, despite the difference in status, as he believed more in friendship than in standing.

The stable boy, Red Ecks, had red hair like Star did, but unlike hers his went more toward the orange hues. A smatter of freckles across his nose, smiling light green eyes paired with a big grin was a surprisingly winning combination which made Robin's heart beat a little faster.

"Will Lady foal soon?" Garfield asked .

"Any time. Maybe tonight."

"Aw, but I wanna see!" the boy complained.

"Tell you what, if there's time I'll throw some gravel on your window if anything happens when you're sleeping, alright?" the stable boy promised.

"Thank you! You're the best!"

"Why don't you go check on her? Give her a carrot, the girl has deserved it," the redhead suggested.

"I will at once!"

As the boy scurried off Robin and Red chuckled.

"Wanna go up on the hay loft for a bit?" Red then whispered.

Robin blushed but nodded. "Oh!" he remembered, "I have news!" He grabbed his friend's hand and more or less dragged him to the barn and up the ladder to the loft, where they made their way to the far back and their 'secret place'. After Robin had told the news about General Wilson, Red gave a low whistle. "So one of them, huh? Married? Well, at least it's not you."

"I don't want to get married, we're going off on adventures, remember?" Robin huffed.

"I'll be your loyal servant, My Lord," the redhead chuckled.

"You'd better," Robin grinned.

"So… wanna … practice?"

"A-all right." Robin blushed but closed his eyes and parted his lips. Soon his friend's mouth touched his. They had seen a maid and a farm hand do this and they had decided that they wanted to find out what it was like, and 'practice' for when they were to be married as well. Robin himself didn't feel in a hurry to find a wife. Women weren't really that interesting to him, at least not to the amount he had heard other young men talk about them. Red's lips, though, was something he could lie awake at night thinking about.

"Red! Red! Where are you, boy?" the stable master's voice suddenly called from across the yard.

"Aw, darn. Gotta go," the redhead sighed. "No rest for the wicked."

"When we leave for our adventures no one will call you away from me again," Robin huffed. As the other young man paused he realized that what he had said might be too forward. "I mean-" he began.

"I'd like that," Red interrupted him softly and then kissed him again, quickly. "I'd like that very much." With that the redhead turned on his heel and hurried away to his boss. Robin, on the other hand, stayed where he was for a while and when he left he felt as light as a feather, almost floating above the ground.

The dinner that evening was a somber affair. Starfire and Raven mostly pushed their food around their plates, and Garfield looked unhappy. Robin gave him a small smile, knowing that the younger boy wanted nothing more than to bubble over with talk about the kittens and other such things, but felt that the mood didn't allow for it.

"Rae, Star, please don't be sad?" Robin tried, ignoring a look of warning from the lord. "Father wouldn't let you marry a bad man, would he?"

"Then _you_ marry him!" Raven snorted.

"I would, if it would help!" Robin threw back. "I won't let anyone hurt you, general or not!"

"Now, now, calm down. Let's not judge the man before he gets here, shall we?" Lord Wayne said sternly. "And no matter what, I expect you all to _behave_."

"Yes, Father," came a collective mumble from around the table.

"Good. Now, Alfred, what would you suggest to cheer up this lot?" the lord asked the head butler who was standing by, keeping an eye on the dinner proceedings.

"Maybe a trip into the town tomorrow? Or perhaps a picnic?" the old man smiled.

"Why not both?" Bruce suggested.

"May I buy a book?" Raven asked guardedly, not quite ready to cheer up yet.

"Of course, you may have two if you find any you haven't read already," her father smiled.

"Last time I saw a beautiful hat-" Starfire began hopefully.

"It shall be yours. Are you feeling better now?"

"I still don't want to marry anyone," Raven sighed.

"Well, maybe you don't have to!" Garfield piped up, "Maybe he'll think you and Star are too ugly!"

"FATHER!" both ladies objected, but the lord was too busy trying not to laugh to reprimand his youngest son.

They were a strange family. Lord Wayne had never married but had always ruled his county with a firm and fatherly hand. He had adopted his five children one by one. Victor he had found at a country fair, a freak show had showed of the little boy with his dark skin and injured body. He had only been four and it had taken the best doctors in the kingdom to help him heal. He couldn't remember where he had gotten his wounds and broken, twisted bones, but that was probably for the best. Bruce had named him Victor as he had conquered so much at such a young age.

Raven had been the oldest child he adopted, she had been eight. A timid girl who has seen too much with a sick mother and abusive father. The family's circumstances came to Lord Wayne's attention when her father was being charged for beating her mother to death. The demon of a man was hanged and Bruce took in the shy, pale child, with hair so black it shone in blue hues, and eyes so dark blue that they looked purple in the sunlight. It had turned out that she had quite a head on her shoulder and soon she had learned to both read and write. Her birth name was Rachel but at the adoption she had asked to choose a new name for herself. She had chosen the raven, a symbol of both wisdom and darkness, and it suited her well.

Starfire had been found bundled up by the roadside a winter's night. The old woman who had found the abandoned newborn had told the lord about it herself as she handed him the child.

"And I wouldn't have seen her, my lord, unless I had watched the sky and walked a bit away from the road by mistake… but the sky last night, my lord, did you see it? All the falling stars, like the stars themselves were on fire! I was so awed I didn't look where I was going and suddenly I stumbled over her in the ditch… the stars led me to her, be certain of that!"

So the child had received the unusual name Starfire. No trace of her mother or any other relative was ever found, and it was suspected that they were just passersby as that particular shade of red hair and vibrant green eyes didn't fit any known family in the county.

Robin himself was a gypsy. His family had been traveling alone and been ambushed by thieves. His father and mother had been murdered, but before that they had managed to hide their little five-year old in a secret compartment of their wagon. The robbery had been interrupted –too late− by Lord Wayne himself while he was out hunting with a few of his men, and the man had heard the little boy cry. The boy himself said his mom called him Robin, so Robin it was.

Garfield was an exotic child who's father had been an explorer and met his mother in some unknown country. They had travelled together until they had contracted a strange illness in some faraway land. They had returned to the kingdom in the hopes of being cured, but had instead succumbed quickly. Garfield's father had actually known Bruce personally since childhood and had, on his deathbed, asked him to take care of their by then two year old boy.

So the family had come to be, unorthodox but respected and well liked. Bruce cared for each one as his own but also expected them to live up to the expectations of little lords and ladies. He had never asked this much of any of them before, however.

* * *

Even though the next day lifted everyone's spirits a bit, the day after that, the day before the general was supposed to arrive, was yet again gloomy. Robin even went to bed early just to get away from the tension. He really hoped one of his sisters would fall head over heels in love with this man so it all could have a happy ending. If the gods were really cruel they would both fall in love, though, and fight over him instead…

He woke up to the sound of something smattering against his window. While he was still half asleep he thought it was rain, but then the sound came back and he jumped out of bed to go investigate.

"Robin!" Red hissed up at him from below the window.

"Yes?" the young man whispered back.

"Oh, good. Thought I was gonna have to break your damn window," the redhead snorted. "It's Lady's time, I already woke the squirt. Wanna come too?"

"I'll be right there!" Robin grabbed his breeches and pulled them on, tucking the half-open short nightshirt inside. It was a warm summer night and he really didn't have time to dress properly. He climbed out the window and scurried down the side, using the uneven stone wall and the climbing plants as foot and handholds. It was the quickest and, more importantly; the most _exciting,_ way of getting down.

He was met with a wide grin on the ground.

"What's that face for?" Robin laughed.

"Your butt looks really cute from below," the stable boy answered.

Robin blushed. "Don't say things like that!" he huffed.

"You're right, I shouldn't. It looks cute all the time," the redhead admitted and then gave the younger man's behind a playful squeeze, which he got an equally playful push for. The young men soon remembered that they had some place to be and joined Garfield and a senior stable hand at the scene.

"You can see the hoofs already!" Garfield whispered excitedly, obviously having gotten a stern order to stay quiet and out of the way. Robin and the others did as well. The mare needed no help what so ever, and soon a wobbly, wet, brown little creature was trying to keep his balance while making a few pitiful attempts at neighing. After the foal had found out where the milk was the senior stable hand nodded.

"There, all of you head back to bed now. Wouldn't do having you running around outside at this hour." He was talking to the Wayne-children, of course; Red was expected to be there.

"Yes, Sir! May I name him? May I?" Garfield asked.

"You have'ta ask your father in the morning," was his answer.

The brown haired boy scurried off, but Red and Robin weren't in quite the same rush. They strolled back towards Robin's bedroom window, enjoying the smell and sounds of the summer night.

"I love this time of year. Going to bed should be forbidden," Robin sighed.

"You wouldn't think that if you had to get up at four to shovel a ton of shit," Red grinned at him.

"Yeah, well… you won't have to do that forever. I'm taking you away, remember?" Robin smiled.

"I don't mind. 'Tis a good place, this," the stable boy shrugged. "Besides, you're here."

The black-haired young man snickered and then, after checking around quickly, gave the other boy a kiss. That led to a second one, which led to a third, and soon they couldn't stop, standing pressed against the wall in the darker shadows of the night. They thought they were safe, unseen, until a voice shattered that illusion.

"Sin wakes up early at this house I see."

Robin gasped, wide blue eyes looking over Red's shoulder just as the first light of the morning cruelly took away any chance of hiding. The man looking down on them was huge, but at least no one the young man knew. Robin was sure of that, even though the light behind the man made his featured shadowed and he was barely more than a silhouette.

"Two boys, huh? Imagine that." The voice, Robin discovered, didn't sound that angry or disgusted, more amused. "Run along and get your masters, the horses needs tending to."

"Yes, Sir!" Red said, gave Robin an apologetic glanced and hurried away.

"And you?" the man said, taking a step forward, "Aren't you going to obey?"

Robin had already understood who he had in front of him, and now, as the man moved and the light fell more over his features, he also saw the black patch over his right eye, confirming his identity.

"I… I…" the young man knew that he was in trouble. He could pretend to be a farm hand and just run away, but he knew the man would recognize him later; black hair paired with sky blue eyes would give him away if nothing else. "Ge-General Wilson, we… we didn't expect you quite this early."

"You seem to be implying that I'm addressing a member of the house?" the man said, arching a brow.

"Robin Wayne, Sir. I'm terribly sorry for… for…" the boy wasn't quite sure what it was he was supposed to be sorry for. Apart from getting caught, of course. He was very, _very_ sorry about _that_. "I'll… I'll wake my father-" he started.

The general held up a hand. "No, don't inconvenience him. I'll rest in the barn with my men for a while. Have a servant bring word when a room is ready. I would like to clean up before breakfast, but there's no reason to wake the family for that."

"Yes, Sir," Robin said and then hesitated.

"Well?" the man was obviously used to his orders being obeyed right away.

"Well, I… umm… climbed out the window, so… I… um…"

"So much trouble to be with your boyfriend?"

"He's not-! I-! We're just-!" the young man babbled. "We were just… practicing." Robin could feel his face flushing a deep red by now.

The general made a sound between a snort and a chuckle. "I bet."

"Please don't tell my father?"

"When I see you at breakfast I'll pretend we've never met," the general nodded to the young man's relief. "Now, off with you, or are you too afraid to climb back up?"

It was Robin's time to snort, and he turned around to quickly scale the wall once more. When he had a leg safely over the windowsill he looked back down. The general was looking up at him with a peculiar look on his face. When their eyes met the look turned into a smirk. It made the young lord remember the comment about his behind Red had uttered before. A new blush bloomed on his cheeks as he quickly ducked inside.

He wasted no time in alerting Alfred to the fact that they had guests. After that he tried to fall back to sleep for an hour or so, but gave up. Instead he got up, washed and dressed. Alfred usually doubled as his valet, but only when dressing for more official dinners, otherwise he managed himself. His sisters had help, but Robin guessed female attire was just more complicated, for some reason. Alfred also assisted Bruce in choosing and straightening his clothes. Usually that wasn't the butler's job, of course, but Lord Wayne wanted it that way. Also, Robin now started to realize, it might be a way to keep costs down. Other houses had a much bigger indoor staff than they had. He hoped the reason was frugalness rather than necessity, though. Maybe he should warn his siblings against asking for too expensive Christmas gifts this year… Yes, his father had said that they needed House Wilson for political support, but Robin knew that most arranged marriages had to do with money. Were they suffering economically? He had no idea, his father hadn't mentioned it, and he knew Bruce worked hard but with five children to support and marry off well… And dowries were expensive. But maybe the general, who was much richer, not request much in that way…? It was rather difficult for him to imagine that there would be one less of them next Christmas. First Victor left for the army and now one of his sisters would be living with her new husband… the thought made him sad; his family was shrinking.

Everyone was dressed to their teeth for breakfast. Robin had been made to change into a finer jacket and a slightly stressed Alfred had brushed his hair as Robin's efforts apparently weren't satisfactory. The ladies of the house had gotten the most of the attention and effort, though. While they lined up to meet the general, Robin couldn't help but glance at his sisters and notice that they had a bit more pink in the cheeks than usual. He had expected them to look sullen or angry, but instead they seemed curious… maybe they had been swept up in all the preparations and found it all exciting after all. He wanted to keep looking at the girls to see the expression on their faces when they first saw the man, but it wouldn't be polite, so he turned his eyes to the closed double doors as the rest of them. He heard small gasps as the doors open, though, and he was pretty sure _he_ wasn't making the noise.

It had been hard to see every detail of the man at dawn, but even so Robin had found him handsome in the manliest of ways. He hadn't been in full uniform like now, however, with buttons shining and the dark blue fabric hugging his body perfectly. Extraordinarily perfectly.

"General Slade Wilson," Alfred introduced the man, and Robin's eyes jumped up from where they had been inadvertently drawn. To his embarrassment the man's single grey-blue eye was on him, a small smirk on his lips.

"Welcome to Wayne Manor," Bruce said warmly and came forward to greet the man. The rest of the family stayed in line until introductions were made. Bruce started with the boys, getting them out of the way before focusing on the ones he assumed the man would be the most interested to meet; his daughters.

"This is Starfire, my youngest daughter," he said. Robin barely listened, his hand still felt warm after shaking the general's hand. The man had given him a quick grin and a nod, leaving him blushing again. "She sings like an angel and her embroidery is famed in the whole county." Bruce continued. "And this is Raven, my oldest; you'd struggle to find a book she has not read and she can balance the numbers better than my own accountant."

"Ladies," the man bowed, making Starfire give a delighted but nervous giggle. "I'm looking forward to getting to know you both."

The conversation at breakfast was easily kept up by Bruce and Slade as they spoke about current affairs and the state of the country. Robin snuck glances at the man while finding himself enjoying the deep voice. His sisters seem to do the same.

As the day progressed the general took both the young ladies for walks around the garden. Red and Robin were watching one of those walks from the side lines, half hidden among the trees. Red had snuck away from work for a few minutes. He had more to do now as Slade had brought a few men with him; a valet and other servants, so the stable was pretty full. The young man seemed to think it was worth it, though.

"Quite a man," Red commented.

"M-hm," Robin agreed.

"You shouldn't look at him like that."

"Like what?" the black haired young man blinked.

"Like you want to take off on adventures with him instead of me," the stable boy grinned.

"You're silly," Robin snorted. "Who do you think he will choose?" he then asked.

"Depends on what he wants," the other shrugged. "They are both beautiful, if you forgive me saying so. If he wants a traditional wife, he'll choose Lady Starfire. If he wants a challenge he'll choose Lady Raven. Maybe she will be more interesting to him."

"I just hope that whoever he chooses wants him as well," Robin sighed.

"Who wouldn't want him?" Red snorted. "He's rich, powerful, handsome, and-"

"Something's happening!" Robin interrupted, watching Raven stalk away from the man, skirts flying and a look of thunder on her face. The young man hurried up to intercept her.

"What's wrong?" Robin asked under his breath.

"Apparently being his wife would 'leave little time for books'," Raven growled under her breath. "I told him I'd rather be in the library than with him."

"Lady Raven!" The general's voice boomed across the lawn, commanding her to stop.

"Don't let him follow me!" Raven pleaded in a whisper and disappeared into the house.

Robin swallowed. Don't _let_ him? Don't _let_ General Slade Wilson do whatever he pleased? _How_? Well, he wasn't a coward, and his sisters were worth risking anything for, so he boldly stepped up to the man he barely reached up to the chest to and raised his hand.

"Pardon me, Sir, my sister doesn't wish to speak to you right now."

"She's a feisty little thing, isn't she?" the man leered.

That comment made Robin's blood boil. He had better manners than to explode, though.

"She's my sister, Sir. I don't appreciate you talking about her like that."

"That's sweet. Now move out of the way, I need a word with Lady Raven."

Robin bristled. "No."

"No? Are you challenging me, young man?" The general looked amused, but there was annoyance just below the surface. "A duel at dawn, perhaps? You seem to _enjoy_ those…"

The redness on Robin's cheeks was more due to anger than embarrassment. "I wouldn't challenge an old injured man to a duel, there would be no honor in winning that kind of fight," he growled.

"Shit." The word was uttered by Red, who had followed the young lord at a respectable distance. Robin met the wide, green eyes at the moment he realized wheat he had just said.

"Fetch your sword," the general ordered grimly.

"Sir, I- I-" Robin stuttered.

"I assume you have one? Like any gentleman's son?"

"Y-yes, but-"

"Fetch it. Now. You'd better be back before I've counted to one hundred."

"But-"

"One."

"Sir, you-"

"Two."

"General, I-"

"Three."

Robin turned and ran.

He didn't dare tell anyone what was going on; he didn't want to get in trouble with his father. Him getting killed by the general somehow seemed less scary, if only a little. He hoped to be able to talk the man out of the challenge once he had fetched the sword, but when he returned Red stood holding the general's coat, looking sheepish, while Slade had his sword out and ready.

"Sir, I really don't-"

"Remove your jacket, it allows freer movement."

"But-"

" _Now_ , Robin."

The young man obeyed, leaving him in a white shirt and scarf, more or less the same thing the general was wearing.

"I don't want to duel with you!" Robin blurted out before the man had the time to interrupt him again.

"Oh, we're not going to duel," Slade said.

"We're not?"

"Of course not. Your death would dampen the festivities of the upcoming wedding, after all."

Robin couldn't even feel insulted. He saw the way the man moved, the way he held his weapon, the muscles bulging under the thin linen summer shirt… he knew he had very little chance at all. He didn't feel much better as the man smirked and continued: "This is going to be a _lesson_."

It was. Robin learned a lot, but he also taught the general a thing or two. Like not to underestimate a certain short young man. Robin had trained with his father and older brother, and done so rigorously. He was limber and strong from all his climbing as well, and before his older opponent realized this, Robin held his ground fairly well.

The fight turned from a punishment to something both of them seemed to enjoy. By the end they were both sweaty but grinning. Robin knew that the man held back, but when the young man tripped on a tree root behind him, Slade had no other choice than to end the game, holding the blade against the young lord's throat. Robin lifted a hand as a sign of surrender and was then offered the general's hand as help to get back on his feet. He accepted it and was hauled to his feet like he had no meat on his bones at all.

"What is going on here?" Bruce came hurrying towards them, and Robin could hear in his voice that there might be trouble.

"Your son is entertaining me by joining me in my daily exercises. I hope you don't mind?" the general answered smoothly.

"I thought Raven and you…?"

Robin shot the general a warning look.

"Ah, Lady Raven had a bit of a headache and needed to rest," Slade said.

"The sun," Robin explained while trying to catch his breath. Lord Wayne nodded. Raven _did_ tend to get headaches if she was out in the sun for too long.

"Very well. I believe lunch is in an hour, I hope Raven will be well enough to join us by then," Bruce said.

"So do I," the general replied.

"If you would excuse me, I have some correspondence to attend to," the lord said with a short bow. "Robin, wash up and change before we eat, you look dreadful."

"Sorry, Sir," the young man mumbled, looking ashamed.

When Lord Wayne got out of earshot, the general said in an amused tone; "I don't think you look dreadful at all."

"Um. Thank you, Sir," Robin, who didn't quite know how to reply to that, said. "About Raven, though-"

"More threats coming? Haven't learned your lesson?"

"No, I was just… she's wonderful and incredibly intelligent. If you like her you should shower her with books, it's cruel to take them away from her! If you can't stand a wife being more intelligent than you are, then there's always Starfire." Robin paused as his own words sank in. "Let me take that back…"

"Yes, please do," the general said tersely.

"I didn't mean that Starfire is stupid, she just enjoys more artistic things."

"So you are not going to take back the implication that your sister is smarter than I am?"

Robin met Slade's eye levelly. "No."

A tense moment passed and then the corners of the man's mouth twitched. "You're quite brave, aren't you?"

"I'm just honest. Raven is brilliant. I'm sure you are quite knowledgeable as well, but I know who my money would be on in an academic test."

"And you?" Slade asked a startled Red, who was still holding their coats. "Who would your money be on?"

"You, of course, Sir," the redhead quickly replied.

"Clever boy."

"Yeah," Red grinned. "Just not very brave."

Robin talked to Raven before lunch, but she was still very frosty towards the general. Robin couldn't blame her. Starfire was giggling a lot, not seeming that upset about her eternal love anymore. She wasn't that amused later in the evening, however, when Slade nodded off in a chair while she was playing the piano for them. Insulted and with tears in her eyes she slammed the piano lid down and stalked away to her room. Robin glanced at his remaining siblings as they tried not to snicker.

"I have to blame your fine wine cellar," the general said to Lord Wayne. "And your cook. The dinner was divine."

"I'm sure she'll forgive you," the lord, who had been nodding off as well, answered. "I'll go speak to her now, and then I think it's time to retire for the night. Boys, come along now," he gestured to Robin and Garfield.

"Yes, father," the younger boy yawned widely.

"I'm just about to finish the book, may I stay for a few minutes?"

"Of course. Good night."

"Night!"

Robin had been ignoring the playing and focusing on his latest book instead, and as he now sank back into it, he didn't notice the general lingering in the room.

"Seems like I need to apologize to your other sister as well," the man then said, making the young lord jump slightly.

"Oh! Yes… I'm sorry to say that you're not making a great impression."

"Maybe spending my nights listening to music doesn't seem very worthwhile to someone like me," the man grunted.

"Well, you could have spent it having an interesting conversation about almost anything in the world, but you didn't seem to want that either," Robin huffed. Maybe he was being rude, but the man was just impossible.

"What are you reading?"

"The Iliad. Do you know it?"

"Very well."

"I've read it many times. I hope to read the Odyssey too, but we don't have it."

"I own a copy. Once I've married one of your sisters, I can send it to you, as a loan."

"I'm sure that will make up the loss of a sister," Robin grunted jokingly. "Thank you. It is hard to come by, it seems. I really want to know the full story."

"I could tell it to you right now. I've read it many times," the general offered.

And that's why they didn't retire until long after the fire had burned down.

 _To be continued…_

* * *

A/N: hope you liked it! We all know how this is gonna end, but I hope you enjoy the ride there… ;)


	2. Part 2

A/N:Thank you so much for the reviews, I'm so glad people seems excited, that really helps when it comes to find time and motivation to write… I decided to answer every review, but then I screwed up with the mails and couldn't remember which I had already answered and… yeah… sorry… But I appreciate each and every one! And here is part 2. Get to it!

 **The General's New Bride**

 **Part 2**

The next day the family went for an outing; riding for the men and a carriage for the ladies. They brought servants and food with them of course. Red was one of the servants –on Robin's insistence− and he was on horseback as well. The young men rode close to each other talking in low voices.

"So, how are things going?" Red asked.

"He seems to have made up with them," Robin observed, as the general was riding next to the carriage, conversing amiably.

"I'll never understand women," the redhead snorted and shook his head.

"Me neither," Robin sighed.

They noticed the general turning around in his saddle and looking back at them. Robin raised a hand in greeting but for some reason only got a frown in reply. Slade nodded to the young women and held his horse back. Once Robin and Red caught up, the man turned his attention to the black-haired youth.

"Wouldn't you rather ride up front with me, than back here with the servants?"

"Wouldn't you rather ride with my sisters than with me?" Robin retorted. "Sir?" he added, when he realized that his words might reflect his feelings a bit too much.

"Come now, leave the stable boy behind," the man snorted and dug his heels into his horse's flanks. The animal took off and Robin gave his friend a look.

"You have to follow him or your father will scold you for being rude," Red told him.

"I know," Robin muttered. "I wish I could be a _little_ bit rude, though…"

"You really should start introducing your son into society. He's socializing with your stable boy," Robin heard Slade tell Bruce as he rode up to them.

"I see no immediate harm in that; he's still young," his father shrugged.

"Sometimes friendships can grow too intimate quickly at that age," Slade said and gave Robin a pointed look.

The young man's blue eyes widened as he feared that the general would tell his father what he had seen, but he only got a smirk in reply and the subject was dropped.

The general then seemed to make it his duty to keep Robin at his side all day, rounding him up when he wanted to go explore the area where they had stopped for lunch, always keeping a watchful eye on him.

Robin had had it when the man even followed him into the woods when nature called.

"Sir, I'm going to relieve myself, I don't need your help!" he snapped.

"Really? And not the stable boy's either?"

"He has a name, Sir."

"I don't care and neither should you."

"You can't tell me who or what I should care about. Leave me alone and go woo my sisters!"

"So you can woo the redhead?"

Robin blushed deeply. "We're not… what you saw was… we're just…"

"Just what?"

Before Robin knew it the excuse they had been using slipped out of his mouth once more. "…Practicing."

The general chuckled. "Yes, you told me… Practicing? For what?"

"For when we marry," Robin mumbled.

"Ah I see. Very wise, I think. There are so many things to learn."

"You think so?" Robin blinked.

"Certainly," the man leered down at him. "Tell me, Robin… have you ever practiced with a _man_? Someone who actually knows what it's all about?"

Robin backed up as the man leaned closer. "I really need to pee!" he squawked as he turned and ran.

The boy kept close to his father after that. It usually meant that Slade was close too; smirking at him, but at least the man wouldn't dare coming with such lewd suggestions again within earshot of Bruce.

* * *

"He said _what_?" Red gaped. Robin had been able to sneak away after they got home, knowing he would have very little time to get ready before dinner now, but it couldn't be helped. There was _literally_ only one person on this planet that he could speak to about this, and that was a certain redhead. They had taken refuge in their usual, secret, place.

"I know, it's…" the young lord made a face instead of finishing the sentence.

"Hmmm…" The stable boy seemed to consider something.

"Why are you grinning?" the young lord asked suspiciously.

"Well, he's _handsome_ …"

"He's old! And a man!"

"Wasn't _I_ one, last time you checked?" Red grinned cheekily.

"But you're… _you_!" Robin tried −and failed− to explain. "And I've never ' _checked'_!"

"Not even when we go swimming?"

There was a lake behind the mansion, just below the vast back garden, where two young men could go swimming in private on hot summer evenings once the chores were over.

"No!"

"Sir should not tell a lie, it's beneath your station," Red grinned, receiving a playful push from the young lord.

"I'll teach _you_ about your place!" Robin chuckled, but froze at the sound of a booming voice calling his name. It wasn't his father, though. It was the general. "I gotta go!"

"Wow, he has you well trained…"

"I just don't want him to find us together again!" Robin half pleaded, half growled. "He'll… He'll just... ruin it."

"Robin! Are you in here? Your father says to get ready for dinner!" Slade's voice was closer to the barn now, most likely at the main gates.

"Let's go swimming tonight!" Red whispered. Robin nodded in reply and took off. Instead of going down the ladder, where he could be spotted, the black-haired young man hurried over to the part of the loft which lay over the stables and jumped down the hatch where they threw down hay for the horses.

"Sir, I'm in the stables!" he called out. "I'll be right there!"

"Why didn't you call out sooner? You made me look for you," the general scolded him once they met up outside.

"I'm sorry, Sir, I was checking on the foal, we're not allowed to shout in there."

"I see. You need to change for dinner. You look dreadful. Hay everywhere."

"Better hurry then," Robin said and did, sidestepping to avoiding the general's hand, which was moving to brush some of those straws off. Without looking back Robin ran towards the main house, right into the scolding presence of Alfred.

With only a minute to spare before the dinner gong Robin was scrubbed clean and dressed. Dinner itself was the usual light conversation, which ended with the dreaded request to withdraw to the drawing room for the night's 'entertainment' consisting of poetry reading.

"Father?" Robin asked quietly as the others were heading out of the dining room.

"Yes?"

"May I be excused? I wanted to get some air and then maybe go to bed?"

"You've gotten air all day," the lord answered, but then smiled down at his son, who was using those eyes of his to his greatest advantage. "You need to run around a bit don't you?"

"Yes, Sir."

"Well, then I'd better let you, or you'll just misbehave in front of our guest. Please be in bed at a reasonable hour, though."

"Yes, Sir, thank you!"

"You're welcome, son," Lord Wayne answered and kissed the top of his son's head before sending him on his way. "Go change first!" he called after him.

Robin passed Slade in the hallway, but pretended not to see him in the shadows. What was he hanging around outside the room for anyway?

After changing, Robin quietly snuck out through the main entrance and went in search for Red. He found him and helped him finish the night's last chores in the stables so they could head out earlier.

The lake wasn't very deep; it was manmade as a fishing lake by a distant ancestor to Bruce, and it held the warmth long after the sun set. The golden rays were still playing over it when the boys reached the shore, however. They disrobed among the trees and came out again as nude as the day they were born.

"You're checking," Red noted.

"Am not!" Robin snorted and ran out into the water. "Catch me if you can!"

"Won't take a minute!" the other cried and rushed after him.

The water soon reached their waists, but it was only further out that they wouldn't be able to reach the bottom. They tackled each other into the water, splashing around, ducking each other's heads under the surface, hollering and laughing to their heart's content. No one was around to hear them out here. Or so they thought.

They came to a rest, chests heaving, covered in pearls of water which shone in the setting sun. They were facing each other, and the laughter turned to something more serious. Robin watched his friend run a hand through his hair, trying to look causal. The young lord wanted to giggle; he knew they would be 'practicing' again, any moment, now, and that Red was just trying to think of an excuse. It was Red's job to ask, somehow. Why that was, Robin wasn't sure. His social status dictated that he should be the one leading, in any situation, but Red was older and… well, he had _seen_ things. Naughty things. Important things.

"Hey… wanna…?" Red started, and Robin leaned in, their bodies almost touching.

"May I join you?"

The young men flew apart as if yanked by chains.

"S-sir?" Robin stared at the man standing right at the water side, just a few meters away.

"It has been a long, warm day. The water looks lovely. Do you mind?" the general asked, although he had already begun undoing his cravat.

"I… um… I… is… is the poetry reading over so soon?"

"I confess I claimed I had a headache after a while. Decided I needed some air. Seems I wasn't alone."

Robin glanced over at Red, who swallowed nervously. They couldn't refuse the request and they couldn't get out of the water either, unless they wanted to expose themselves to the man. Said man had no such qualms, apparently. He was already opening his shirt, making Robin swallow as expanses of hard muscles became visible. He had never seen anything like it. Red had muscles, yes, after all his hard work, and so had Robin from riding, climbing and helping out on the estate, but the general was in a class of his own. Bruce was of a similar body type as the general, yes, but the young man had never seen his father without clothes on.

"Wooow…" Red breathed quietly as the shirt came off completely, and Robin swallowed. The younger froze as the man started to unbutton his trousers, though. At the last moment the young lord spun around. Red didn't.

"Don't be shy, we're all men here," the general chuckled.

"I just don't think it's appropriate," Robin huffed boldly.

"What's inappropriate is you already being here with a stable boy, but I've understood that things are run… differently… at this manor. Your father seems to be friends with his butler as well."

"We're all people, you know!" Robin hissed, still refusing to turn around, even after hearing the man wade out into the water and approaching them.

"What a novel idea." The general stood by them. The water only reached the middle of his hips, barely hiding his most private parts under the glittering surface. "Since we are all here, how about a race? To the other shore and back?"

"Yes, Sir!" Red answered. Robin only made a noncommittal noise and shrugged. It would be less awkward to swim than to just stand here, but they didn't actually do a lot of swimming at the lake. He knew _how_ , but he had a feeling that he would be severely humiliated.

"Let's go!" Red called out, however, starting the race.

Robin worked very hard to keep up, and he wasn't far behind when they reached the other shore. They turned back before the water got too shallow to swim and Robin pushed away from the bottom as hard as he could to get some extra speed. Maybe it was cheating, but he needed it. Slade was well in front when they reached the middle. Robin was panting and doing everything he could, even stretching out his toes, when-

"Aah!"

"Robin! What's wrong?" Red asked, turning around in the water.

"Calf… cramp!" Robin gasped, trying to stretch his leg and getting a mouthful of water in the process. When he discovered that he couldn't reach the bottom he panicked slightly which led to him ending up under the surface again. He wanted to curl in on himself from the pain, but of course he couldn't stay afloat like that… Not that he was doing such a good job of it right now anyway.

The need to get to the surface took over from the pain. How had he sunk so far? Where was it? It had been right there, now things looked black! Suddenly something grabbed him and dragged him down! Robin opened his mouth and almost breathed in a lungful of water before his head broke the surface.

"There, I got you," Slade's voice said in his ear. "Which leg?"

Robin coughed, and then he felt the pain return. "R-Right!"

"Boy, grab his leg, stretch it out and push his toes up towards him," the general ordered the stable boy.

Once the man was obeyed, Robin felt the pain ease down to a throb, and he finally relaxed. It was when he let himself do that that he realized that he was resting against a very naked man, who was holding him firmly against his chest. He made a move to get out of the grip, but it only tightened.

"Let's get you to shore and stretch that leg properly."

Humiliating as it was Robin found that as soon as he tried to swim using his legs the cramp got on the verge of coming back, so he let himself be towed to the shallow water. Slade then lifted him up and carried him to the beach where he was placed gently on the ground.

Blushing furiously Robin used his hands to cover himself and his eyes didn't leave the ground in fear of seeing more of the general than he wanted to.

"Let' see," the man grabbed his leg and started stretching and massaging it. Robin just sat there, hunched over, tasting the lake water in his mouth and feeling miserable in general. He coughed, and felt Red pat him on the back.

"Are you well?" the young man whispered.

"Y-yes… just... my clothes…?"

"Of course."

"Thanks," Robin mumbled to Red when he received his clothes and could at least cover himself easier.

"Yes, don't mind me, I only saved your life," the general muttered, still massaging the young man's leg.

"He really did, you were trying to swim down for some reason, sinking like a rock," Red added.

"I'm… I'm sorry, I…" Robin drew a deep breath. "Thank you, sir! I didn't mean to be rude, I just… I…" He stopped talking when he realized that he was now looking at the man, who had no time –or maybe felt no need– to cover himself yet.

"It's fine." The man gave him a small, tight smile. "How is your leg now? Can you walk?"

"Yes, I think so… thank you. I just… need to dress."

"Let me hel-" the man began, but Robin shook his head furiously.

"No, please! I can manage, just… you should get dressed too, Sir!"

"Very well."

Red moved between them and helped Robin while he was shielding him from the general's eyes. He revived a thankful smile for it. Robin then quickly clung to the stable boy so that the man wouldn't offer to help him. He still did, however.

"If your leg still hurts I could carry you?"

"No, thank you sir, I think I just need to stretch it," Robin hurriedly declined.

It was very late before Robin got to bed that night. He had washed himself in cold water as he didn't want to bother the servants by asking them to warm some up. He had an uneasy feeling in his stomach as he twisted and turned, trying to fall asleep. The general. Something worried, almost scared, him about that man. It was weird, because he was supposed to be a friend of the family, a powerful ally in the troublesome looking future… and still Robin felt like the small bird he was named after when he looked into that grey eye. A small bird who had caught the hawk's gaze.

* * *

The next morning Robin took the long way to the breakfast table through the small gallery, a hallway seldom travelled as it really wasn't a direct route to anywhere important. The general, however, seemed to have been waiting for him.

"Hello, Robin."

"Good morning Sir," the young man answered, startled to have the man appear so close in front of him all of a sudden.

"I have made up my mind about your sisters. I will be leaving soon to prepare my manor for the wedding."

"I… I see. You really should be speaking to Father…" Robin felt increasingly uncomfortable as the man seemed to be getting impossibly closer.

"I will, this very morning. Before I leave, though… I think you should thank me properly for last night… and for keeping your dirty little secret."

"Thank… thank you? I… I already said I was grateful, I don't understand?" Robin had backed away and now felt his back hit a wall. He was trapped. Yes, he would just run of course, but it was against all sense of decorum to do so.

"I think you can find some other way… maybe through some 'practice'?" the man suggested, his fingers now trailing the young man's cheek. "And maybe some more…? It's still early, why not come with me to my room?"

Robin's mood switched from intimidated to furious.

"You demand that I thank you with my body?" he growled. "Would you demand the same if it was one of my sisters you had saved? I do not belong to you and I refuse to betray my sisters like that! And you should be ashamed of yourself having such thoughts when you are about to be engaged!" Robin slapped the man's hand away and hurried from the gallery down to the breakfast room where other people would provide safety for him. He didn't care how angry had had made the man, he didn't care if he told his father about 'practicing', he just knew that there was no way in hell he'd be doing any of those things with his future brother-in-law! The very thought made his face burn!

He was keeping his head down during breakfast but as the meal ended Slade cleared his throat.

"Bruce, why don't you and I go for a ride this morning?" he suggested.

"Hmm? Oh! I see," the man, who had been occupied with reading the newspaper, said. He gave his girls an encouraging smile as it was apparent that the man had finally made his choice. "Of course. How about we meet outside the stables in an hour? Alfred, would you let them know to have our horses ready?"

"Certainly, Sir," the butler nodded.

When the men excused themselves, Raven and Starfire started whispering urgently to each other, both looking worried. Robin had a clump of ice in his stomach while watching them. He wished the one the general chose wouldn't be opposed to the wedding, but despite the man making amends it didn't look like he had won any hearts.

Robin made sure to keep close to the stables that morning so he would see when the men returned. They had ridden out in a good mood, talking about a hunt Slade usually arranged in the autumn, but when they returned it was in silence. Robin hurried up to his father, his heart beating very quickly. The lord looked like a thunderstorm and his clothes were oddly ruffled.

"Father? Did you fall off?" Robin asked as he held the horse for him.

"No, Robin. Where are your brother and sisters?"

"I'll fetch them!" the young man hurriedly promised, handed the reins to Red and hurried off. He heard his father start to shout something after him but ignored it. It was probably that it was undignified to run.

He found his siblings very quickly, as they had been keeping an eye out for their father as well, and actually met them all on the steps to the manor. He turned around to patiently wait for whatever news there was.

"Robin, I actually needed to speak to you-" Bruce started.

Robin's heart sank. The bastard had told his father about him and Red! He gave the general a glare, just as the one-eyed man interrupted the lord.

"I think we can tell them the good news together, as a family… or family to be. I apologize, dear ladies, you are both beautiful and talented in your own ways, but the one who has captured my heart is Robin."

There were sounds of disbelief from everyone apart from the young man himself. The words hadn't quite sunk in with him yet.

"Wh-what"? he asked meekly.

"I have asked your father for your hand in marriage."

"I… I have a say in it, do I not?" Robin started, his anger rising dangerously fast. "I decline! I will not marry you! Never!"

"Robin!" his father barked. "I will see you in my study right now!"

The young lord could barely hold in his explosion until the heavy oak door closed.

"You can't make me! You can't force me to marry him!" He rarely, if ever, raised his voice to his father, but now he flat out screamed.

"I won't."

"You-! What?" The tantrum fizzled out a bit.

"If you are completely opposed to it-"

"He's a man!"

"As I gather you have no objections to kissing members of your own sex."

"He told you!?"

"Yes, but he didn't have to. I already knew. I'm not completely blind, Robin."

"I… we… we're only… practicing."

"Well, guess rehearsal is over, then," his father half sighed, half chuckled.

"He can't even marry me, he's a lord!" Robin objected. "Lord needs to marry women to produce heirs!"

"Yes, the law states that the line has to be secure for two men or two women to marry and that an heir from one family is not allowed to marry the heir of another if that line has no other descendants, but… Slade has two grown sons. He is free to choose. And you're not my heir, Victor is, therefore you have no obligation to carry on the Wayne family name."

"But father, I don't want to, I refuse! You said you wouldn't make me!" Robin pleaded.

"And I won't, son. I wouldn't be able to go through with it with Starfire or Raven either, if they had been opposed the match, but…"

"But what?" Robin muttered, crossing his arms.

"Nothing, son," Bruce smiled at him. A smile which tried to be encouraging but didn't really reach his eyes. "All will be fine, don't you worry. The general will leave tomorrow morning, just stay in your room if you wish to avoid him."

"Is… is this about what you told my sisters? That we need his support?" Robin asked, feeling uneasy.

"Like I said," his father stood up and gestured towards the door, a definite sign that the discussion was over. "Do not worry. I don't want any of my children to be unhappy. The important thing is that we have each other."

"Yes, father," Robin nodded, not buying a single word. He knew where he would get the truth, though, whether he wanted it or not.

Robin found the general in the library.

"Sir?" he said, guardedly. The man looked up from the book he was reading and smiled tightly.

"Come to apologize, boy?"

"I've come to ask what my father's not telling me. Would it be good for my family if I married you?"

"It would save it."

Robin grew cold.

"H-how? Are we poor? Has father done something wrong?"

"Your father is well respected and does well in business," the general said, straightening up. "But there are different times now. He lost a lot of money when the ships he had invested in sank on their way back from the orient earlier this year. The crops have been only average for the last couple of seasons and if he's going to invest in the future he'll need connections and money. I can provide both. But don't worry. You will have to sell the house, downsize to a smaller one, and of course you can't bring more than a few staff members, but you will never go hungry. Your sisters will be able to marry somewhat well too, I'm sure, and merchants can have both money and daughters for you and your brothers.

Robin swallowed. Slade's words seemed comforting on the surface, but losing the manor? The Wayne-family had lived here since they got the land grant from the king after a war four hundred years ago! And having to fire the staff would mean that Red would most likely lose his job… they would only be able to have one farm hand to tend to the horses if that… if they could even afford horses…

He looked around. He could already see the library thinning out, the family treasures sold in secret as Bruce tried to keep the ship afloat. He trusted the general to tell him the truth; he had seen the severity of the situation in his father's eyes.

"I…" Robin swallowed. The thought of what he was about to do, what he was about to give up was so overwhelming that it was incomprehensible to him right now, but he knew what he had to do. For his family. "I'll… I'll marry you."

"Lovely. It will just be a small wedding, of course, as you're only a boy. Two weeks should be enough time. The ceremony will be held at my family's chapel. Let's go inform your father of the good news, shall we?" The man offered Robin his arm, and the stunned boy took it automatically.

"In two weeks?" he said, and that was exactly the objection his father had.

"Robin is merely sixteen, a year's engagement would be more suitable-"

"Now, now, Starfire is barely older. I want my new bride with me as soon as possible. I think we both agree, don't we Robin?"

"I… yes," the boy said quietly.

"You told him!" Bruce snarled at the man. "Robin, you don't have to do this! I swear we will be alright!"

"I… I know we will, father, but… we'll... we'll lose the house, won't we?"

"It's only a house!" the man claimed. The strain of his voice told another story, though.

"No, father, it is our legacy. You have always told us that we have to do what is best for the family. Waynes have gone to war for our heritage as much as for our country, all I have to do is marry… please let me do that for us?"

"Son, I… If you change your mind at any time… if you need somewhere to stay… if he treats you badly-"

"Don't insult me," Slade snorted. "I have no intention of mistreating him in any way; I only ask that he does his duties as my wife."

Robin shuddered. He didn't like the title, but he knew that the law stated that it was husband and wife, no matter the gender. The highest ranking or the one with the most money was usually the husband, and there was no doubt who the husband was in this case.

"Thank you, Father," Robin smiled bravely and embraced the lord.

"But still, only two weeks? There's not much time!" Bruce told the man. "A month at _least_ would-"

"My house is more than capable of throwing a wedding with little preparation. I can't imagine he has so many belongings that it would take a month to pack. I'll send one of my men back at once; that will give my staff adequate warning before I arrive in a few days. You should leave in a week. That will give you plenty of time."

Bruce couldn't really argue with that.

"May I bring my horse?" Robin asked.

"Of course. Bring anything you want."

"Red would-"

"No."

"But-"

"No. And I would see it as a personal favor to me if your father would limit your time with the stable boy until you leave. You don't want to betray your future husband, would you?"

"No, Sir," Robin mumbled, keeping a tight lid on his feelings.

"Good. I'll go fetch the ring. It might not fit, but I'm sure the smith has the tools to fix that."

At dinner, an engagement feast, Robin looked down on the glittering band on his finger. The ring had fitted, which was rather embarrassing but seemed to please the general. It was a large one, with the Wilson crest surrounded by rubies and diamonds. Rather gaudy but it was made to show off wealth and heritage, of course.

Robin was seated next to his fiancé at the table and tried to think of something to say.

"Your sons… will they be at the wedding?"

"No, they are both deployed overseas. I don't expect them home for at least another year or two, depending on the situation."

"Oh." The young man was secretly delighted that he wouldn't have to meet them yet. They were older than he was, he'd heard, and he didn't quite know how to handle his new status.

"So… you're alone, then?"

"Apart from around a hundred employees, yes."

"A hundred?!" Robin gasped.

"Fifty outdoor staff, fifty indoor staff, yes. Of course more during harvest season. With just me I wouldn't normally need that many indoors, but I frequently host dinners and often have house guests. But I'm not as _close_ to the help as this family is, hence I wanted to marry again."

"Why me, though?" Robin asked quietly. The table was large and he spoke almost under his breath. No one could overhear them.

"You were the only one who intrigued me."

"I also told you 'no'," the young man added.

"That too. You might not want to do that in the future," the man smirked at him, making Robin's heart beat fearfully.

"You promised my father you wouldn't hurt me."

"And I won't." The man turned towards him and stroked a strand of hair out of his eyes in a very gentle, affectionate gesture. "I will shower you with gifts and attention. We'll travel, you'll meet the most interesting people you can imagine, including the king himself. But never, ever oppose me, Robin. Never deny me what is mine."

"I'm not your possession," the young man mumbled. He didn't even dare hiss, though, and he knew he sounded more sullen than angry.

"According to the law you will be. I'm not asking anything more from you than I would of any of your sisters. Less, actually; I'm not asking you to bear me children."

"I don't love you."

The man chuckled. "Of course not. This is an arranged marriage, after all. It doesn't mean it has to be a bad one, though. All you need to do is obey your husband and try to be a good wife for me… for your family's sake if nothing else. If you don't think you can do that, you'd better break the engagement. Your father has left the decision up to you."

Robin focused on picking at his food after that. He knew the man was right and there was nothing left to say.

 _To be continued…_

* * *

A/N: Yup, and there it was, the 'how' we had been waiting for… ;) But what about Red? Is he out of the count? You'll see on Thursday (I think it will be).


	3. Part 3

**I FORGOT IT WAS THURSDAY! This is like 24 hours late, I'm so sorry... It was all uploaded and ready, but I plain forgot what day it was... gah.**

 **A/N:** Longer chapter this time, I think, but that's because I was afraid to cut it off at the set amount of pages… because people would have killed me. Better let the scene play out.

As usual I read all the reviews (thank you so much!) and failed to answer them… deadlines and work.. gah… One review stood out a bit as it had me chuckle and nod:

It was **AGriffin** who wrote:

"I'm in love with this story. I can't see Red being that bothered, a little sad maybe but he probably always had a more realistic view of his and Robins relationship. They could dream of adventure together the odds of it happening were always low. Slade's little hints of jealousy were funny...ride with me Robin...'practice' with me Robin...let me beat this boy in a swimming race to prove my manliness...I saved your life PAY ATTENTION TO ME."

The Slade-part was so perfect, I thought… so let's see Slade demanding some more attention now, eh? ;)

 **The General's New Bride**

 **Part 3**

The sound of gravel hitting the window panes was expected. Robin flew from his bed to the window and opened it wide.

"Is it true?!" Red asked him from below.

"Shh! I'll come down!" the black haired boy whispered, and swung a leg over the windowsill.

"Get back to the stables, filth!" a harsh voice sang out from the dark. It was one of Slade's men, swinging a cudgel. "And you, young lord, go back to bed and close your window. The general has ordered me to keep you safe."

"I want to speak to him!" Robin growled.

"Then fetch the general and see what he has to say," the man sneered.

Robin and Red stared at each other. The stable boy gave a small, unhappy shrug.

'Tomorrow!' Robin mouthed, and the other nodded.

But it wasn't to be. Two of Slade's men had been ordered to stay behind to 'protect his interests' and they took turns making sure Red and Robin had no chance of meeting, by either keeping an eye on one or the other. Slade had kissed his hand before he left, telling him how much he was looking forward to seeing him again, and since then Robin had been caught up in the crazy preparation carousel. Their few servants were running themselves ragged, packing and preparing, his closet was being ransacked and he was made to try everything on for size before it was decided if the clothes would be packed or not. Slade had asked for and received his measurements before he left and assured him that his wedding clothes would be provided, which was unorthodox as that cost normally lay on the bride's family, but Robin had just agreed. He didn't really care, after all.

He had barely had time to talk to his sisters, but found them in the small sitting room in the afternoon, where they were busy embroidering.

"What are you two doing?" he asked, almost falling down into a chair with a sigh, hoping no one would find him for just a little while.

"Trying to get at least some linen ready for you," Raven replied, showing Robin the crest they were marking the items with. The Wilson crest paired with an S and an R.

"I… thank you," Robin said lamely. "I'm… I'm sorry… I mean… did any of you want to…?"

"No. No, not at all," Raven told him. "We feel guilty, though… we are relieved, and yet you have to…"

"I'm doing it for the family. It's alright," Robin said, maintaining the façade he had kept up since his decision.

"We would have as well. We were ready to," Starfire said solemnly. "Thank you, Robin. Thank you so much."

"We'll write to each other, won't we?" Raven said urgently "And… and if you want to write to Red… just include the letter with mine!"

"He can't read or write, though," the young lord said, his cheeks coloring as it turned out that everyone seemed to know about their special relationship.

"Then I'll read it to him and I'll write what he says back," his sister told him. "And my lips are sealed, I swear!"

"And I'll teach him so he can write you himself soon!" Starfire promised urgently.

"Can I write him a letter right now? Slade won't even let me talk to him!" Robin asked.

"Of course, you can do it in here, keep us company," his oldest sister nodded.

There were paper, ink and pens in the room so the young man sat down at a table and wondered what to write.

'Dear Red' he started.

'I can't tell you how sorry I am, but yes, it is true. I am to marry the general at his estate in a week. The family is in some trouble; please don't tell anyone else about that. There is no immediate danger, but without the connection to house Wilson we might lose the manor, which means that you lose your place as well. I am doing this for them and for you, though my heart desires differently.

I will miss you dearly… all our plans, all the adventures we were going to have… I will think about you every day, and I WILL see you again! Surely the general will let me travel home for Christmas? Raven has promised to pass along letters and read them to you like she is now, and help you write to me as well.

I will never forget you. You will always be my beloved friend and confidant, and nothing and no one can change that!

Yours only,

Robin'

He blew on the ink to dry it quicker, tears burning his eyes. This wasn't enough! This wasn't enough at all! But it had to be. He saw no other way out.

The day of departure arrived much too quickly. Robin had hoped to at least be allowed to say goodbye to Red, but the redhead was nowhere to be seen.

"He's sad, I'm sure he didn't want you to see that," Raven whispered to him. She had been passing notes back and forth for the last couple of days and also seemed surprised that the stable boy wasn't present.

The whole family was going, of course, so the carriage had been prepared for the ladies. Several wagons brought the packing as well as Robin's belongings. It took almost three days on a good horse to ride to Slade's estate, if you rode hard, but with wagons and carriages it took the better part of a week, so they would be stopping along the road.

They set off. Robin waited until the very last moment, but no Red. As they rode through the gates his heart was breaking for so many reasons.

"Hey, Robin?" Garfield was riding up alongside him.

"Yes, Gar?" the young man smiled, the front still firmly in place.

"I heard the general has the biggest stables in this part of the country! Almost bigger than the King's! Do you think we'll get to see the horses?"

"I imagine so," Robin nodded.

"He told me he has a huge kennel too! The best hounds around! He promised me a puppy! Do you think Father will let me have one?"

"I'm sure he will, if you take care of it," Robin told the youngster. Garfield was a couple of years younger than him, and even though he had been sad that Robin was moving away, he didn't seem to have picked up on the severity of the situation. Well, that was at least one person the young man's façade was fooling. To the thirteen year old this was all a thrilling adventure, and Robin was glad at the innocence of it all. They all seemed to play along when it came to keeping the mood up and Robin made a conscious effort to talk and smile with his father and brother, as well as riding close to the carriage to exchange a few words with his sisters now and then.

As the day went on tiredness set in, however, and he fell more and more quiet. At dinner at the inn that night he excused himself early and went to the room he had to share with his brother and father. He fell asleep only to be met by nightmares of being hunted by a beast, waking up as he was caught and torn apart. He barely slept at all after that.

They arrived at Wilson Court, as the manor was named, five days later. The trip had been faster than they expected as the roads had been good and dry, although they were all tired of travelling by now.

The grounds were huge; almost eleven thousand acres of woods and farmland and over one thousand acres of those were parkland. The formal garden surrounding the house was fifty acres all by itself. All this Robin was told by the land steward of the estate who had come to greet them at the in that morning and been filling his ears with facts about his future home ever since. The man had a private home on the estate. Wilson Court also had a separate chapel which was open to the public on Sundays for services. The priest lived in a cottage very close to the small church and came out to greet them as they rode past. Or small? It was quite a lot bigger than the one in their own parish. Robin's face was starting to hurt from the constant small smile he had forced it to wear.

The upper staff had lined up outside the mansion to greet them, and so had, of course, the house's master. The staff was a row of pristine black and white, not a spot to be seen or a single hair out of place. Their faces barely held any human emotion either, stiff with the seriousness of the situation. At a nod from Slade they rushed forward. An older man introduced himself as Robin's valet as he helped the young man down from the horse. Robin didn't quite catch his name in the rush of things and then Slade approached him, took his hand and kissed it again, just as he had when they left.

"Lovely to see you, my dear," the general said, and Robin could actually believe that the greeting was sincere. It didn't make him feel better, though. "Welcome to Wilson Court."

"Thank you, Sir," Robin nodded. "You have a fantastic home."

"And now it's yours too. Well, it will be. Tomorrow."

"T-tomorrow? I thought the day after..?"

"Why wait when you arrived so early today? There's plenty of time for you to rest before the dinner tonight and then we'll have the wedding tomorrow at noon."

"Yes, Sir," Robin mumbled. The general was right. Why wait?

There were refreshments, a tour of the garden, a tour of the house itself, Robin was shown the room he would stay the night in, the servants drew a bath for him and before he knew it he was sitting at the dinner table. They weren't alone; Slade had invited his more important neighbors and associates. Robin had seen Bruce speaking and shaking hands with one of the men before they were seated and couldn't help to feel just a little bit bitter. This was why he was doing it. For business. For money. He had been bought and sold. No, he tried to tell himself; he had sold himself. He had not been forced, it had been his decision… but what had been the option? Seeing his father's heritage ruined? No, no, he couldn't live with that… but it still stung to see him already profit on the union.

After many hours of food, conversations and toasts to both Robin and Slade the young man finally could retire to his room. He was so tired that, even though he was only sitting on the bedside, he thought he was dreaming when he heard something hitting the window.

He rushed to it and there-

"Red!" Robin tried to keep his voice down as much as possible. He didn't hesitate to climb out the window, however. It might be on the second floor and he might never have climbed this wall before, but nothing would keep him from Red this time. He soon landed softly in the gravel in front of the redhead and they embraced hard before the stable boy dragged him away from the house and into the darkness of the park where they could speak more freely. "What are you doing here, how did you get here, how did you find me?!" Robin spluttered.

"I wouldn't leave you! Never!" Red replied. "I hid in the wagon! Then when you stopped for the night I climbed out and spent the nights in the inn's stables. Last night I knew you were close so I followed you here on foot in the morning. Only got here around an hour ago."

"But how did you know which room was mine?"

"One of the stable boys told me. I helped him out with a few chores as a thank you. His mother is a chamber maid here, so she knew which room would be yours. I'm so glad they didn't switch it around though… would have been embarrassing…"

"Oh, Red…" Robin whispered and then kissed him. The older youth kissed him back, feverishly until the younger man pulled away, tears streaming down his face. "I'm… I'm so sorry… I'm so sorry…" Robin sobbed.

"Shhh…" the redhead pulled him close. "Don't be… shhh… everything will be alright."

"How… how can it be? I have to marry him tomorrow!" Robin cried, clutching on to the stable boy like his life depended on it. "And I don't love him! I love you!"

"I love you too, Robin," Red mumbled warmly in his ear. "With all my heart. And you won't marry him. I'm here now and we'll think of something!"

"I… I have to… my… my family… I…"

"So what? They won't _starve_ , Robin! They will still be the richest in the county! And the staff will get good recommendations and move on! You're not destroying anyone's life here but your own! Yours and mine."

Robin sobbed as they held on to each other. It would be so selfish! So horribly selfish, but… he would just give up too much. His father was asking too much.

"How… how can we even… what should we do?" Robin asked meekly.

Red was quiet for a moment and then he took the young lord by the shoulders, almost shaking him in his eagerness.

"The priest lives here, doesn't he? I saw a cottage by the chapel?"

"Yes, he does, but-"

"Let's get married!"

Robin gaped. "Wh-what?"

"They can't separate us if we're married! And you're not the firstborn so it's legal! And as I'm a lowborn orphan no one will care about my linage!"

"Do you… do you think he'll help?" Robin asked doubtfully.

"He's a priest, he has to! We're in love!" the stable boy said. "If he says no we'll just... we'll just run away!"

"… okay. Okay, yes!" Robin exclaimed. "Let's do it!"

A few minutes later two very nervous young men knocked on the reverend's door. The man had naturally been at the dinner and had yet not retired to bed, so they were shown in by a sleepy looking maid.

"Young lord Wayne? How may I help you? Is there something you need to speak to me about before the wedding?" he asked, barley giving Red a glance.

"No, Reverend, I… I do not love General Wilson-"

"Love will come, my boy. Just be a loyal wife to him and-"

"I don't love him because I love Red here!" Robin interrupted. "We… we've loved each other for a very long time, Reverend, and… and we wish to be married! Tonight!"

"I… I… I'm not sure I understand…" the man stammered.

"If you won't do it, we'll run away!" Red snapped.

The priest raised his hands. "Calm, calm above all, my son. Very well. Go to the chapel, it is open. I will join you soon, but I need to change into my attire and prepare a few things."

"There's no need to change, Reverend," Robin started but got a sharp look.

"Young man, I take my calling very seriously. I believe in doing what is right and doing it the right way. I will not be rushed."

"I apologize, Reverend, of course. Of course we want it done right," the young lord conceded.

"Off you go then. Martha! Would you come here for a moment, please?"

Robin and Red hurried into the dark church and waited by the altar, holding each other talking as the minutes ticked by.

"Soon we'll belong to each other forever," Red mumbled dreamingly.

"My father might throw me out…" Robin sighed.

"If he does then we'll just go. You can work as a teacher and I can do any odd jobs around. We'll save up and maybe buy a little house one day. Maybe some land."

"Yes, and maybe-"

Robin was interrupted by the church doors being thrown open. Men armed with hunting rifles poured in and in the middle of them the general stalked towards the boys, looking murderous.

"The priest betrayed us, run!" Red hissed.

"Move and my men will shoot you dead on the spot, scum!" Slade snarled. He grabbed Robin's arm and almost crushed it in his grip as he pulled the two boys apart.

"Let me go!" Robin yelled and tried to kick the man. "I won't marry you! I love Red! Let me go!"

"One more word and your young lover is dead," the general hissed. "Take him to the cellar, lock him up in one of the storage rooms ," he ordered his men who overpowered the redhead and started to drag him away.

"I love you!" Red yelled.

"I love you too!" Robin called after him, then yelling out in pain as the general hauled him away in the opposite direction. He was taken into the small vestry where Slade pushed him against a wall.

"Did he touch you?" the man growled.

"That's none of your-"

" _DID HE TOUCH YOU_?"

"No!" Robin half yelled, half gasped. He had never seen the man angry, not this angry at least, and he actually feared for Red's life. And his own. "We- we kissed. That's all we did! We kissed!"

"Good. At least no damage done in that regard."

"I won't marry you! I changed my mind! I want to be with Red!"

"You want to be with Red, do you?" Slade sneered. "Well, maybe you change your mind once I have him thrown in jail. Or deported. He might even be hanged for treason against a lord and officer."

"You can't do that!"

"I can, and I will! And what more, I will destroy your father. When I'm done with him he'll have nothing left, deep in debt. He'll lose his title, his land, he'll be begging on the streets surrounded by his children."

"No! No you can't!" Robin pleaded now.

"I can. Easily. But I won't. I won't because tomorrow you'll marry me in this church and your father will never find out about this little… episode."

"What… what about Red?"

"I'll release him once your family is ready to leave and he can go back with them. But if he ever returns here again, he will leave the grounds either in a coffin or in chains, is that understood?"

Robin was shaking. He had bile rising in his throat and tears streaming down his face, but in the end he bowed his head in a nod.

"Good. I'll escort you back personally. My men will be guarding your door and window tonight. I should strike you for this kind of foolishness, but you are not mine to punish… yet."

"Please don't hurt Red!" Robin pleaded as they reached his bedroom door.

"I won't as much as _think_ of the rat," the general snorted. "Go to sleep, you look dreadful. You better be on your _best_ behavior tomorrow, or I _will_ remember a certain stable boy."

"Yes, Sir," Robin promised quietly.

The young lord cried himself to sleep that night, his heart torn apart by his cruel fate. He feared and worried for Red as well, locked up somewhere below, maybe injured, maybe being starved… Robin's mind went wild with dreadful images until he finally drifted off.

As per tradition he didn't see his fiancé until at the ceremony the next day. He was served breakfast in his room and then spent the time with his family while servants bustled around getting everything ready. The suit the general had provided fit perfectly.

"You look so grown up," his father smiled at him. Robin smiled back as best he could. He didn't feel grown up. He felt like a child wanting to run and hide under the bed from the monster.

"Father," Garfield spoke up, "Do I have to dance at the party?"

"No, but I would like to see you asking the Goodward's girls. They are your age, you might like them."

"Urrgh…" the young boy groaned. "Dancing with girls…" he muttered like it was the worst day of his life.

Festivities were planned for the next three days for the around 80 guests. Slade had called this a small, simple wedding and Robin could barely imagine a big one. He had wished it would just be his family there, no one else. On the other hand, with all these other people to distract them, his family was preoccupied and didn't have time to ask how he was doing as much. That was a blessing in a way.

"Now, I need to speak to Robin alone," his father said just before they were about to leave. His siblings obediently filed out of the room and so, after fixing his cravat one last time, so did Robin's valet, who he now knew was called Johnson.

"What is it, Father?" the young man asked, somehow hoping against hope that the man would say that he didn't have to do this after all.

"Well…" Lord Wayne cleared his throat and looked uncomfortable. "If you had been one of your sisters, I would have asked a woman to have this talk with you…" the man began. Robin frowned slightly wondering what he was on about. "What… tell me, what do you know about the wedding night?"

Robin gaped and then blushed a little. He knew things were supposed to happen on the wedding night, things involving him and Slade sharing a bed and being naked. He didn't know the details, though. Red had hinted that he knew what else two men could do together and that he would tell him when they were older, but whatever it was the young lord had no clear picture of it. He was torn between a need for his father to tell him and hoping he would just stop talking already.

"I… I think… we… will kiss?" Robin asked. "And… and… be in bed together?"

"Yes. Yes, that is right… but…" Bruce hesitated again, clearly very embarrassed himself. "I have made inquiries and… make sure he uses oil."

"Oil?" Robin blinked. This was new. It was also worrisome because it didn't really fit his suspicions.

"Yes. Otherwise listen to him and follow his instructions. As your husband he'll know what to do. It will be alright."

"Yes, Father. Thank you, Father," Robin nodded.

"That's my boy. Now it's time to go!" Bruce said hurriedly.

* * *

The chapel was absolutely full. Townspeople had also gathered outside and cheered as Robin and his father arrived in a decorated carriage. They were met by his following which consisted of small girls he didn't know, probably the daughters of some influential family in the area. They threw rose petals in front of them as they walked up the aisle. Garfield was the ring carrier but his sisters had deemed to be too old, as they were of age themselves, to be part of the ceremony. They were instead seated in the front row, looking stunningly beautiful and were probably inspiring quite a few men around them to propose at this very moment.

The walk up towards his soon-to-be husband seemed too short to Robin. Before his father handed him over to the man he turned to his son.

"I love you, Robin. I'm so proud of you. Thank you." Then he offered Robin's arm to the general, bowed and left to join his daughters in the pews.

Robin shyly glanced up at the general when his arm was taken. It felt like he was holding him in an iron grip, somehow, and there was a look of triumph on the man's face. He had won. Robin bowed his head again, thinking of Red.

The ceremony was long. Robin had been coached on what was expected from him and he followed the instructions perfectly, his voice not even wavering when it became his turn to say his vows. To honor and obey.

"You may kiss the bride."

This moment had, of course, not been rehearsed. Robin nervously wet his lips as Slade pulled him close. The man's hand tilted his chin up until it was in a satisfactory position. Robin closed his eyes as the general leaned in. The kiss was far from a peck, yet it didn't linger embarrassingly long. It still managed to be possessive, demanding, craving, filling Robin with all kinds of different emotions from fear to –though he'd like to deny it− excitement. Was this how men kissed? Was this what Slade had meant when they were on that outing back home? Robin's cheeks were as pink as any bride's as he was led down the aisle by his new husband.

If the feast yesterday had been grand it was still nothing compared to the wedding feast. Robin had never seen so many dishes at once, and he had to remind himself that this was what Slade considered a 'small' affair. The meal itself lasted for several hours and they moved between different dining halls taking breaks to converse, just to make it possible to get through it all. Robin's favorite was the chilled fruit served outside, because he needed the fresh air.

After the meal the dancing began. Slade was a very competent and assured dancer and Robin had always enjoyed anything that involved moving, especially if it meant mastering one's movements. It felt unusual to take the woman's steps and be led instead of leading, but he soon adapted. As the night went on pair dancing was replaced by country dances performed in groups. Robin's dance card was of course full, but at least it distracted him from what was inevitably to come.

As a dance finished Slade showed up at his side and took his arm.

"I think it's time to retreat for the night," the man told him.

"Y-Yes, Sir," Robin stuttered.

"You may call me Slade now, you know," the man chuckled. "Do you wish to say goodnight to your father before we leave?"

Robin shook his head. He wanted to slink away unnoticed. Everyone here knew where they were going, what they were going to do. It seemed only Robin himself was somewhat in the dark.

When they had climbed the stairs Robin took a step left as his husband walked right. The young man was therefore accidently suddenly pulled to the side.

"The master bedroom is this way," Slade pointed out.

"Oh, yes. I forgot. Sorry."

"No need to apologize, you haven't seen my rooms yet, after all," he man chuckled. "I hope you'll like them."

Robin didn't answer, he just nodded. What did he care about the rooms? They were just rooms, nothing else.

"Has… Has Red gotten something to eat?" he asked, after gathering his courage for a moment.

The man's face hardened instantly. "You think of _him_ at a moment like this?"

"I'm sorry!" Robin hurriedly said. "I just wanted to know if he's alright!"

"He's getting fed well enough. I've told my men to bring him a piece of the wedding cake," Slade said with a cruel smile.

Robin glared at the man but held his tongue.

"Here we are." The general opened the door to him and Robin hesitantly stepped over the threshold into the outer chamber leading onto the bedroom itself. There was a desk here, an open fire with some soft chairs in front of it, a book case and a cabinet filled with an assortment of things Robin couldn't see from where he stood. There was also a door the boy guessed led to the master bathroom. The house had indoor plumbing and even the fairly new water closets. Back home they still only had outhouses. No one was generally allowed in here apart from the master and mistress of the house, and of course their servants. It was considered their most private rooms. Robin looked around, feeling anxiety rise within him.

"Let's get comfortable, shall we? Wine?" Slade offered. Wine and fresh strawberries had been arranged for them, but Robin shook his head. He was too nervous to drink and he didn't like the taste either. He had mostly had water all day, only taking a sip of each glass of wine for show. "No? Very well then." The young man watched as Slade started to undo his cufflinks and then mimicked him. He fiddled, though, and Slade had already shrugged out of his coat when Robin finally was done. The man sat down in a chair.

"Be a dear and help me with my boots, will you?" Slade was wearing his uniform, of course, with all his medals and honors. Robin kneeled on the floor in front of the man and helped him pull the tall, well fitting boots off. He then remained there, awkwardly, until the man smirked, stood up and pulled him up with him. "Now… what are you hiding under this coat, if I may ask?" the man purred and started to undo the buttons. Robin didn't think it was required of him to answer. His heart kept beating faster and faster, though.

"What have you been told about tonight? Do you know what I'm going to request of you?" Slade asked as he removed the coat and started on Robin's shirt.

"I… I was supposed to ask you to use oil…?" the young man answered, blushing profoundly.

Slade paused and looked at him for a moment. "Of course. You were told nothing else? Not even by the stable boy?"

"No. He… he said it was enough to practice kissing until we were older."

"Hmm…" Slade nodded, his tone surprisingly approving. "Very well. I'll teach you."

Robin shivered as his shirt slid off his shoulders, exposing his skin to the man's gaze. "Beautiful," the man commented, making Robin blush deeper. Deep down he was glad that the man liked what he saw, even though his attachment to Red told him he should be disgusted.

"Come, sit down on the bed," Slade told him next, leading him into the large, airy bedroom with a canopy bed which was clearly made several generations ago.

Robin obeyed the not-quite-order, and it was Slade's turn to kneel in front of him. The man looked up at him as he removed the young man's shoes, giving him a rather cheeky smile. The boy turned impossible redder but smiled nervously back as the man's hands were sliding up and down his legs, removing his socks as well.

"Stand."

Robin did so, nervously. Slade cupped his sides and let his hands travel down to the waistband of his trousers. The man pulled him even closer and Robin gasped loudly as Slade kissed his stomach, both from the surprise and the feeling. The first kiss was followed by many others, and the young man barely noticed when his trousers fell to the ground, followed by his underwear. He noticed when the man cupped his bare behind, though, and lifted him up. Slade placed him in the middle of the bed like he was arranging something beautiful for display. When he pulled back, Robin's hand moved to cover himself.

"Don't," Slade told him. "You're mine. Don't you think I want to see you? All of you?"

Robin didn't want to remove his hands, he really didn't, but he didn't dare oppose the man as long as Red was at his mercy.

"Hmm…" Slade hummed approvingly again, his single eye almost eating the young man, who squirmed and blushed even more.

Robin couldn't help but stare as his husband started to truly undress, his wide chest coming into view. He had seen him before, yes, fleetingly in the dark by the lake, but in the brightly lit room so many new details came to mind. Also, he had to admit, he was now looking with new eyes, in a way, a new… purpose? Robin wasn't sure he could explain it, but this wasn't a family friend skinny dipping, this was his _husband_.

"Do my scars scare you?"

Robin jumped, only then noticing that his eyes had been following white lines and pink splotches which marred the skin here and there. Nothing looked nasty, he thought, but they made him curious.

"Father says battle wounds are nothing to be ashamed of," he spoke up.

"Your father is right." Slade's hands moved to his trousers and Robin looked away. "No. You watch. I'm your husband, you have a right to see me too," the man told him.

The young man remembered more about that night at the lake than he might want to admit, but his eyes still widened at what he saw now. Slade's… thing… his… his penis, it was standing up. It was also even bigger than he remembered it, and it had been big enough before. Now, Robin had of course had erections himself and, full of shame, touched himself under the covers late at night, but he knew it was wrong. That had the parish priest told all the male children at Sunday school, which Bruce had insisted that all his children attended until they were twelve. Sunday school was more for the working class children because the Wayne family had tutors of their own, but Lord Wayne said that it didn't hurt to get to know the society as a whole. Robin well remembered the day when the priest had asked all the boys to stay after class for 'personal hygiene studies' and then, red in the face and in terms even Robin had trouble following, told them not to touch themselves. God was watching. They might go blind. It was also important to wash. But personal pleasures like those were a sin, and what a wife was for, according to the man.

Robin swallowed. He was Slade's wife now. He was here for his personal pleasure… and looking at the man's… thing, that was pretty obvious.

"Do you want to touch it?" the general asked.

Robin shook his head quickly, still staring.

"Very well, you're still shy. It will go away in time."

Robin bit his lip, feeling like he had failed a test, but Slade didn't seem angry and it _had_ been a question! If it had been an order he wouldn't have dared to refuse.

Slade was now completely naked and shamelessly walked around the room, putting most of the lights out. Now, when it wasn't as bright as day inside anymore, Robin felt a little bit more comfortable with the nudity, both his and his husband's. He watched the man curiously as he went to a cabinet and retrieved a small green glass bottle from it. He placed it on the bed, close to Robin, giving the boy a knowing smile.

"What is that?" Robin asked.

"The requested oil, my dear."

"Oh. Umm… good. Thank you." He still didn't know what it was supposed to be for, but as his father had seemed to think it was important, it probably was.

"Anything for you, dear," the man smiled as he came to lie down on the bed next to an increasingly nervous and tense Robin. "Now… where were we?"

The man leaned over him and kissed him on the lips. The young man soon understood that he knew very little of kissing, even after all that practice, and he made a little sound when the man's tongue entered his mouth. It was weird. Very weird. And a little bit exciting. But then he accidentally bit the man's lip, because Slade's hand had snuck down and was touching Robin's groin. That had startled him badly enough to bite, something he profoundly apologized for at the moment.

Slade realized it was an accident, though, and only chuckled, shook his head at him and kissed him again. His jaw this time. And then his neck. And his chest. the man's hand was back in position again, and Robin squirmed.

"S-sir…? Slade? Do… do you have to… do that?" he asked.

"Doesn't it feel good? It sure looks like it," the man told him in an amused tone.

The young man was already hard, but very embarrassed about it.

"I… I…"

"Now, now, tell me the truth," the man ordered.

"…yes…" the boy whispered.

"Yes what?"

"…yes, it… it feels good," Robin added. "But… but it's strange!"

"No, this is how it's supposed to be."

"So if… if someone else does it you won't go blind?" Robin asked innocently.

Slade burst out in a hearty laugh. "No… no you won't go blind. Nor will I."

"Because we're married?"

The corner's of Slade's moth twitched like he was about to laugh again, but when he answered his voice was almost overly serious. "Exactly Robin. Because we're married. You and me. We belong to each other. If it had been someone else… well there's no telling how God might punish you. And them."

Robin nodded but then narrowed his eyes. "But you wanted to touch me before we were married!" he pointed out.

"No, no, just kiss. Just show you how men kiss. Kisses are alright, of course. Like between you and that boy. Although after you marry you're not allowed to kiss anyone but your husband."

"Of course not," Robin snorted. He knew about _that._

"So… shall I continue?"

The boy nodded hesitantly simply because he didn't really have a choice. He was also curious about what might come next. Slade was kissing him and touching him again, gently, gently, but his lips were constantly moving downwards. Robin raised his head. The man wasn't really going to kiss…? And he did! And not only kissed it, he took it in his mouth! The young virgin tried to keep still but barely managed. It was the best feeling in the world! How did he do that? Why hadn't he and Red done this? Yes, maybe they would go blind, or worse, but it might be worth it!

"Oh, please, don't stop!" Robin gasped as the man pulled away.

"You were about to spill your seed already, it's a bit too soon," the man chuckled and crawled upwards again so he could kiss the young man's lips again instead. Slade's mouth tasted slightly different this time, but the taste only excited Robin more.

"Raise your knees a little and spread your thighs," Slade instructed next. Robin did so and then curiously watched as the man picked up the oil and poured some on his fingers. The boy blinked. What in the world? The man's hand went back to his groin and when an oiled finger swept down his length it felt very nice. But the man didn't go back to stroking him. Instead he briefly caressed his balls and then went lower. A finger started to circle his opening down there. Robin's mind was blank for a moment but then things finally came together. He almost burst out laughing. That was the big secret? The butt? He had seen plenty of animals do it, so he knew that the man's thing went inside a woman somehow, but when it came to two men he had been stumped. He had wondered if they just rubbed their fronts together like he and Red did sometimes when they kissed. All the animals did it from behind, though, so his other thoughts had been that maybe it went between his thighs. Well, now he knew… it was just that… it would never fit, would it? He'd be hurt! He'd break!

He shied away and crawled a little further up onto the bed.

"Slade… no. No, I don't want to," he begged. "Please?"

"You are in no position to deny me anything, remember?" the man told him firmly.

"But- ah!" The man had pushed a finger inside him. A finger! Why? Robin didn't understand, but he didn't dare move.

"There… relax… see, it wasn't that bad, was it?" the man told him and kissed his neck as his finger kept pressing inside a bit more. Then he started move it in and out.

Robin gasped but he wasn't in any discomfort. Was this all it was? Only with a finger? If that was the case, then it was okay. When Slade moved it in that special way it even felt really…

"Mmmmhhh…" Robin moaned.

"There we go… you like this, don't you? My beautiful little wife," Slade mumbled and kissed him again, his nipple this time, which made the boy arch a little. Then the man sucked in the little pink bud into his mouth and Robin didn't care that a second finger joined the first one.

The general started thrusting those fingers in and out of him, twisting, scissoring, until the stretch only felt pleasant, if a little strange.

"Turn on your side, away from me." Slade said, removing his fingers. "There, pull up your knees. Good… good…" he kissed his neck this time, nibbling on it until Robin couldn't help but giggle, and then the fingers were back, wet with new oil. The man's free hand snaked under him and pinched a hard nipple.

The fingers disappeared again and almost immediately something different pushed at his opening. It didn't really push in, though; it just stayed there, like a constant pressure.

"Are… are you done?" Robin asked.

"With my fingers, yes. Let's just lie here and let me kiss your neck, hm?" Slade told him.

Robin felt he could agree with that. The pressure felt rather nice too, it made his backside tingle. He carefully moved his behind a little, pushing back just a little bit to see what it would be like. The pressure grew a little and Robin gasped.

"Touch yourself, it will feel even better," Slade whispered in his ear.

As the man had told him to Robin thought it couldn't be forbidden, so he carefully did.

"Mmm… yeees…" he gasped quietly. He pushed back a little more. The pressure intensified again. Slade moved behind his as well, making the pressure grow and lessen slightly. Robin lifted a knee to have more room to touch himself and was soon moaning. He stroked himself quicker and quicker, pushed back more and more until-

"It's- it's going inside!" he exclaimed, but he couldn't stop now. He was just on the brink and instead he pushed back harder, coming as the thing –which he had just realized must be _Slade's_ thing− sank deep inside him in one sweep. It didn't hurt, not exactly, but it was surprising, so his cry of release was pleasure mixed with shock.

And it wasn't over. Slade started moving in and out of him, like he had done with his fingers. Robin only gasped as the man grabbed his hip for better leverage.

"Ugh-ugh−ugh-ugh!" was all the boy could manage with each thrust. Then the movements slowed.

"I want you on your back. I want to look at you," the man told him and withdrew.

Robin winced and let out little sound of pain, because that had stung.

"Can't… can't we stop now?" he asked.

"We're not stopping until I finish inside you. I'm going to fill you up. If you had been a woman you would most likely get pregnant from it."

Robin let himself be rolled over and then the man lifted his feet up on his own shoulders. Then the pressure was back. As he knew what would come it was a bit harder to relax this time, but Slade had applied more oil and was soon buried to the hilt again. He had said that he wanted to look at him, and Robin had a hard time avoiding that gaze. It was hungry, possessive, triumphant and the boy didn't like it. Slade had blackmailed him into all of this, and he had won. There was nothing to be done, though, but submit to him.

After a few trusts Robin felt something inside him tingle again. The man's thing seems to touch something which made his limp penis come to life once more. It felt good. It started to burn and there was almost pain, but it also felt good! What worried him was Slade's talk about 'filling him up'. He was already really full! Would it hurt? He gathered his courage and straight asked out the man, who lost his rhythm as he snorted out a new laugh.

"No dear. No, it won't hurt, it's just my seed and there won't be too much of it. I'm not a horse."

Robin thought he understood now, he had seen horses mate and when the stallion was done and jumped down, something tended to gush out of the mare. He hoped that wouldn't happen. That would ruin the bed. Slade yanked him out of his thought by starting moving again, very slowly at first as the man kissed him. Robin felt foolish just lying there, so he carefully wound his arms around the man's neck. His legs had fallen down by now, to encircle the man's hips instead and the boy tried to squeeze the man gently. That led him to moving faster, which caused more friction against that place inside him, making his penis ache. He was going to have that feeling again! He clung harder to the man, urging him on and suddenly he cried out once more, the feeling more pleasant this time. He felt the man thrust very hard a couple of times before he stilled. Robin felt a warmth inside him and the man's length throbbed. Then, slowly, it slid out.

Slade rolled to the side and pulled him close for a while as their breathing and heart rate returned to normal. The general then, reluctantly, got up and went over to the washing stand on the dresser, wet a towel and proceeded to clean them both up.

"No blood on the wedding sheets… I told you I would take care of you," the man told him. "Congratulations, Robin. You're now properly married."

Robin just nodded and sat up against the headboard, drawing his knees up, again very aware of his own nudity. He looked around.

"Are my clothes here? I'd like my nightshirt, please," he said. "I'm cold," he added, which was a little bit of a lie.

"Johnson made sure all your things are here. I believe he laid out your night clothes over there," the man said and nodded towards a chair next to a dresser. The room was mirrored, in a way, with what appeared to be his side and Slade's side. There were two dressers and two changing screens, which Robin found slightly funny. They had just been naked and done very strange things, and they still needed changing screens?

Reluctantly he left the bed, not comfortable with walking around naked, and he quickly found his night shirt and put it on. He then returned to bed, folded back the covers on his side, and slipped in. He had done his duty to his husband and now it was bloody well enough! The thought of it made him feel slightly dizzy. He had been so tense and nervous for so long and now when it was over all kinds of emotions rushed in. He wanted to go home. He wanted his father and siblings and his old room, and Red… he didn't want to be here in this huge strange house with a man he didn't know, and he would be here forever! Robin felt his eyes burning and turned to face the wall.

"Are you tired?" Slade, who was walking around extinguishing the rest of the lights, asked.

"Yes," Robin answered tightly.

"I don't blame you. It's been a couple of eventful days, hasn't it?"

"Mmh-hm." Robin's answer was a bit uncommitted but not rude. He then found he had a question. "Do… do married people do… um… _that_ thing… a lot?"

"What? Oh, you mean having relations? Yes, quite often, especially in the beginning. Whenever the husband wants to."

"When the husband wants to?" Robin asked, trying to keep his bitterness down. Of course it was Slade who decided that too.

"Yes. But feel free to tell me when you want to as well," the man chuckled, apparently missing Robin's point.

"I'm going to sleep," the boy muttered. "Goodnight."

"Goodnight dear," the man said, still laughter in his voice. Robin felt the bed dip and then the man got closer, right behind him. The boy gasped as an arm wound around him and pulled him back, and then he felt the man's lips on his neck again. "Sleep well, my little conquest," the man said quietly and then settled in behind him. Still naked, Robin realized. It took quite some time for him to fall asleep.

 _To be continued…_

* * *

A/N: Okay, Bruce, that was probably the worst the birds and the bees talk in history…


	4. Part 4

**A/N:** Almost forgot it was thursday again… -_- here it is, though!

 **The General's New Bride**

 **Part 4**

Breakfast the next morning was taken in the 'large breakfast room', as they had company. Robin blushed as he thought that almost everyone around the table knew what had happened last night. His father gave him a slightly worried, questioning look and he nodded quickly back, confirming that he was okay. Besides the Wayne family two other families had also stayed the night as they had far to travel. The rest of the guests had returned to their homes, but most of them would be back soon as the next two days had quite a few festivities to offer.

Once everyone else were eating and talking among themselves Robin glanced up around him. It seemed Garfield had made a friend, a pretty blond girl of his age which he was actually talking to. They seemed to have a conversation about rock of all things.

"Blueberry or raspberry?" Slade suddenly asked.

"Pardon?" Robin blinked, almost jumping in his seat.

"For your toast?"

"Oh…um… raspberry, please."

"Here you go dear. Let me help you. You barely touched the food yesterday, you must be starving."

Robin snorted softly. If he had taken just one bite of every dish served yesterday he would have been full for a week! Besides, who could eat when you were worried about… things. Speaking of things, nothing had happened that morning. Wintergreen and Johnson had woken them up and seen to that they were ready for the day. Robin had watched with baited breath as Wintergreen had shaved Slade expertly but so quickly that the boy was sure he'd be a widower any moment. Not that he would mind much. His own valet had just deemed that shaving wasn't necessary, which had left the young lord a bit embarrassed.

Robin managed to have a toast and an egg and some tea to wash it down, but that was enough for him for now. He liked eating as much as the next person, at least now when the worst nervousness was over, but he knew the day would be filled with as much treats as he could possibly want so there was no reason to overdo it.

"Didn't you like the food?" his husband asked.

"Just not that hungry," Robin said.

"Maybe you prefer soft-boiled eggs?" the man asked, probably because the boy had been working on that egg for quite a while.

"I do, actually, but I don't mind. I know there will be more than enough to eat today anyway," Robin clarified.

"General Wilson, Sir, may I go visit the stables after breakfast?" Garfield asked suddenly.

"Certainly, why don't we all go? And the kennels too," Slade nodded, leaving his wife's eating habits be.

"Yes! Thank you!" the young boy beamed and Robin had to smile at him. Sometimes he could picture his little brother as a puppy, his tail wagging madly.

Soon after, the brown haired boy was leading the troops on towards the vast buildings in the distance which, apparently, was the manor's stables.

Robin had to admit that they were impressive. The floors were flagstones laid in intricate patterns, the wood gleamed and the iron bars and details were beautifully wrought in the shape of vines and flowers. It barely _smelled_ of horse. And the horses themselves… Robin liked riding and he was fond of his own old mare but these horses… oh my. Their coats shone and they seemed to come in all shapes and sizes, there were even some Shetland ponies among them.

"Those two were my boy's first horses," Slade told them. "The children of the house ride them now, and spoil them rotten. I didn't want to sell them and they need the exercise after all. I think Wilson Court is one of the few houses where even the kitchen boys are decent riders."

Robin's eyes had landed on a few other horses, though, which were like nothing he had ever seen before. They had oddly small heads and looked graceful, almost fragile. Their eyes were huge and beautiful, though, and the manes seemed to be pure silk.

"What are those?" he asked breathlessly, carefully nearing one who looked like its coat was made of snowflakes on silver.

"Those are Arabian horses, purebreds," Slade told him proudly. "Quite a sight, aren't they?"

"They are absolutely beautiful," Robin said, for once wholeheartedly agreeing with the man. "Lady will be jealous."

"Lady is your horse? The one I've seen you ride?" Slade asked.

"Yes," Robin scratched his neck feeling a bit embarrassed. "I know she's not much to look at, but I bought her myself with my Christmas money at a spring fair, and she's a good horse. Old, but a good one. Wouldn't trade her for the world!" he added, feeling like he had to defend her a little in front of all these beauties.

"Of course not. If you find a good horse, someone you can trust, you stick to it," Slade said. "Looks will not help on the road or in the battlefield."

Robin, who had expected to be teased, blinked but then nodded, giving the man a small smile, which was returned. That, in turn, made the boy blush a bit because for some reason an image of the man smiling at him while naked suddenly popped into his head.

The stables took a while as Garfield wanted to know the names and breed of every horse there, including their background story and favorite treat. Then they headed to the kennels and the boy disappeared in a pile of puppies.

"We can leave now, he won't be out of here until he's starving," Bruce said dryly. "And barely then."

"Father, Father, General Wilson said I could have a puppy, may I? May I please?"

"I haven't actually had a chance to ask your father," the general said and turned to the man. "They are hounds, but they do well as pets too… I should have asked before promising, though. I didn't know he would be this… keen."

"You can have a puppy, but you have to care for it yourself," Bruce sighed and then huffed as he was tackle-hugged by his youngest.

"Father?" Starfire spoke up, carefully, standing there with a very happy little dog in her arms. "Would… I mean… May we also…?" She was clearly so uneasy asking that Bruce chuckled. "Puppies for everyone. If more are for sale, that is?" he asked Slade.

"They are a gift. Robin, would you like one too?"

"No, thank you," the boy declined. "After all, I can come here and pet them any time, right?"

"Of course," his husband nodded. "So… have you three found your favorites? They are old enough to come home with you, but we have to ask the kennel master to put collars on yours so we can tell them apart when it's time to for you to leave."

It took a while for favorites to be chosen and Robin burst out laughing several times at the puppies' antics and his siblings bickering when they compared the mass of white, tan and black bodies. They were foxhounds, who would get quite big as adults, but they were a gentle breed who got along with anybody and anything as long as they had a pack, or so the kennel master, who had joined the group, told them.

"It's good to see you smile," Slade said in Robin's ear. It only served to make the boy aware of it, however, and also feel ashamed of himself as Red was still locked up somewhere.

On the way back Raven and Starfire pulled him to the side. First they didn't say anything, but the blush on their faces made Robin suspect, and dread, what would come.

"We wanted to ask… um… how… I mean…" Raven started.

"What happened?" Starfire pushed on.

"I'm not going to tell you that!" Robin hissed, his own face red too by now.

"But … did it hurt?" Raven asked.

"Well…" Robin thought back on it. There had been so many sensations and emotions and frankly he was a bit sore today, but… "No, not really. It was weird though. Really weird. Men are weird. Don't get married." He said the last part as somewhat of a joke and his sisters giggled. Their curiosity seemed satisfied, however, so they let him be.

In the gardens games were being set up for the arriving guests. Gazebos made of fabric had been erected here and there so people could sit in the shade. Servants were offering refreshments and Robin accepted a glass of cool apple cider. Slade was by his side once more, and they received plenty of congratulations. Robin saw that Garfield and Starfire were playing 'catch the tail' a type of tag, with a mix of youths and children on one of the lawns and decided to join. After only a few steps in their direction, however, a heavy hand landed on his shoulder.

"You're married now, Robin. You can't play with the children anymore," Slade told him. "Why don't you join the game of battledore and shuttlecock over there?"

"They are just a bunch of women batting a feather ball around, they aren't even having a real match!" Robin objected.

"Maybe you can suggest one?"

"I don't want to play with women!" Robin hissed and, surprisingly for him, Slade chuckled.

"Very well. You are the lady of the house now, though. It will be expected of you to entertain the fairer sex after dinners and such."

"What?" Robin asked, bewildered.

"Before, well after my first wife died, there hasn't been anyone to take care of the ladies. Usually the highest ranking lady has taken the role of hostess for the evening, but there has been quite a few… rows. Now things will be done in a more appropriate way, I hope I make myself clear?"

"But I'm not a woman!"

"In the eyes of society, God and the law you are."

"And in your eyes?" Robin growled. "Do you see me as a woman as well?"

Slade didn't answer for a moment, only smirked. "No. To me you're a boy, although quite a beautiful one. But that doesn't mean I don't expect you to handle your duties in the house."

"And if I refuse?"

Slade's eye grew cold. "I wouldn't test my patience too much, my dear. Remember that we have an understanding regarding this marriage and the benefits to your family."

Robin looked away and then nodded. "Fine. How often do you have dinners anyway?"

"At least twice a month and it will probably be expected of us to be even more social now," the man answered lightly.

"Ugh…" the young man groaned quietly. "I need some strawberries…"

Robin avoided joining into anything after that, but so did Slade so he gathered it was alright. They were like royalty, sitting next to each other as on thrones looking out over their kingdom or walking around, gracing their guests with their presence. Robin was bored out of his mind most of the time.

His father took him aside at one point to make sure the boy was none the worse for wear, so to speak, and Robin assured him that everything was alright, and physically, it was. Emotionally, however, he was balancing somewhere between rage and grief. Everything he saw around him was beautiful and perfect, even his husband was more than handsome enough and hadn't physically hurt him. Yet. He had been very clear that he wouldn't allow Robin to step outside the lines at all, though, and the boy wasn't happy with that. It didn't even matter if the lines were reasonable; he resented being restrained. He knew women were very restrained in their society, even Raven and Starfire who had more freedom than most rich girls had social rules that they just couldn't break. Robin felt slightly embarrassed that he was now objecting so much to being in their position, when he had found it natural before; women were the fairer, weaker sex. That was what the church and teachers preached. Their minds shouldn't be burdened with too much learning; their roles were to care for the house and children. The men should worry about supporting them. Robin didn't want to be 'supported', he didn't want to spend his evenings in the company with just women; he barely knew how to talk to them for crying out loud! Robin wanted to travel, to discover the world, to study and learn!

He was walking next to Slade, holding his arm as he had been told he had to, when the thought hit him and he stopped dead. As he was holding on to the general, he made him stop too.

"What's wrong?" Slade asked.

"I… I will be allowed to continue my studies, won't I?" Robin asked frightfully, looking up at Slade with the huge blue eyes he used on his father sometimes. The man wasn't completely unaffected.

"What are you studying?"

"Math, English, history and religion. I really want to learn more about history. We were- _I_ was going to travel and visit sites of old ruins, where the historians are digging them up! All kinds of treasures are found, it's so exciting!"

"I will send requirements for tutors once we return from our honeymoon," Slade promised.

"We're going on a honeymoon?" Robin blinked. "Where?"

"Abroad. We might see some of those interesting sites too," Slade smiled.

Robin couldn't help but feel excited and grinned back. He had never traveled! Well, they had been to the sea a few times, but not too far, and never abroad! Travelling was something he had always longed for, however, and now he would be able to… although not with his companion of choice. Sadness stabbed his heart when he thought of Red, but he didn't nurse any hope of seeing him again for a long time, apart from when the family left the day after tomorrow. He wouldn't bring it up until that time, though. He'd rather have Slade in a good mood for as long as possible.

"Why don't you and I take a walk by ourselves?" Slade suggested and steered him away from the guests and round the corner of the vast house. Robin had no choice but to follow, of course, and soon they were standing under a willow-tree, well out of sight from the others. "I can't wait to have you by myself again," the man told him in a low, purring tone. They were facing each other now, Robin's back against the tree trunk. Slade's hand came up to caress his cheek, and the boy bit his lip, feeling his heartbeat increase. "You are adorable," Slade told him and leaned closer.

Their lips met and Robin answered the kiss, albeit hesitantly. He didn't have the choice to decline, after all, but he felt very self-conscious.

"Wha-what if someone sees us?" he gasped as Slade let him breathe properly again.

"Then they are intruding on us," the man smirked as he pushed the young man further against the tree, their bodies now mashing together. Then he kissed him again. Robin's hands came up to rest around the man's neck, more because he felt awkward about them just hanging there than anything else. The deepening kisses and the friction against his front began to have an effect on him, though.

Suddenly Robin thought he heard his name being called, but the voice was very subdued. There was also a thumping noise of some kind. He pulled away.

"Do you hear that?" he asked. "Someone's…" he looked over towards the house and, in a basement window he saw Red's face. The stable boy looked distraught, and Robin didn't blame him, after what he had just seen. "Red!" he called out to him. He took a few steps towards the building but his arm was caught by Slade. Whipping around, Robin growled. "You did that on purpose! You wanted him to see!"

"I was sure he'd be happy for you," Slade smirked. "How about giving him an encore?"

"No!" the boy snarled, but was pulled right up against the man no matter how hard he fought. The man's lips pressed against his. Robin tried turning his head away and again faced Red, who clearly understood what was going on. The stable boy was screaming at Slade, but only muffled sounds reached them. The young lord gave him a look full of desperation which turned into a plea for forgiveness as Slade whispered in his ear.

"Now be a good little wife and kiss me back or a certain someone won't get any more meals."

The boy let out a dry sob, but obediently turned his face back upwards once more. When the man finally let him go, Robin took a few, stapling steps back.

"Why… why do you hate me so much?" he sobbed before he turned and ran into the house.

* * *

Once inside Robin didn't quite know where to go. Servants were bustling around and he didn't want to show anyone his tears, so he fled to the only place he was rather sure they wouldn't come, and also one of the few places he could find his way to; his and Slade's rooms. It wasn't very well thought through and of course the man found him there, sobbing on the bed.

"Where did you get the idea that I hated you?" was the first thing out of the man's mouth.

Robin's sobs turned into a hollow laugh for a moment as he got up from the bed and tried to dry his eyes. He was embarrassed about his tears –men didn't cry– but there was nothing he could really do to stop them, they just kept pouring down his cheeks.

"You force me to marry you, you take me away from my family and the man I _love_ ," Robin made sure to stress 'love' even though he so recently had only been considering the stable boy as his best and closest friend. He had loved Red then too, of course, but more as family in a rather naïve way. "And you enjoy controlling me, telling me what I can and can't do! You _must_ hate me! I just don't understand what I _did_!"

The man just looked at him for a moment and then sighed. "Poor boy. I don't hate you. If I had hated you, would I have been so gentle with you last night?" he asked, making the teen's previously so pale and wet cheeks blush. "I came to the Wayne family to find my bride. Your name is ancient, older than the Wilson's, even, and well respected. You might not be able to bring me money, but hopefully goodwill from your end of the country. The king needs safe passage for his troops and it's important that House Wayne is clearly on the right side if things would come to a demonstration of strength. Your father's subjects are more loyal to him than the king, I'm sure, and will follow him anywhere. A marriage between our houses makes sure that it is in a direction the crown wants them to go."

"Are… are you saying the king ordered you to remarry?" Robin gaped.

"He… suggested it," the general admitted. "After thinking about it the thought wasn't too unappealing, however, so I wrote your father. I intended to marry one of your sisters, but unfortunately… you got in my way."

"What… what do you mean?" Robin asked. "How?"

"Do you know how delectable you look in the sunrise? Lips wet and swollen from kissing, eyes huge with lust and barely decently dressed… I wanted you from that moment on, and try as I might I couldn't get you out of my mind. I'm used to getting my way, Robin."

"I've noticed," the boy muttered and ducked his head as one of the man's eyebrows rose.

The man went to his dresser and fetched something, wrapped up as a gift. "Here. I meant to give it to you this morning as a morning gift, but somehow it slipped my mind."

The parcel was a book, Robin felt that as soon as he got it in his hands, and when he opened it he was looking at an expensive print of the Odyssey, with illustrations.

"Thank you," he said, simply.

"I enjoyed that night, Robin. Very much. Now you can read it for yourself, though, and berate me if I told it wrong."

Robin nodded and put the book on his night stand.

Slade watched him and then continued."I understand if you are upset right now and think I'm unfair, but I rest assured that you will eventually see that what I offer you through this marriage will give you more than you could ever have hoped for. You'll eventually forget the stable boy, cute as he might be, because he belongs to your childhood. Just an innocent childhood romance. How many of us do you think get to marry our childhood sweethearts?"

"But you locked him up! You made him watch us… us _kiss_! You-"

"I might have been a bit childish when it came to the kissing."

"You- what?" Robin blinked, surprised by the admittance.

"He came here, like a _thief_ , trying to steal you away. I _did_ want to punish him, show him once and for all that you belong to me now… that was immature, I apologize. You are mine no matter what."

"But I don't want to be! I want to go home with Red and my family!"

"You will change your mind. My first wife was rather unhappy in the beginning too. She didn't truly settle down until after our first child was born." Slade paused like he was considering something. "Are you sure you don't want a puppy of any kind? A kitten, perhaps?" Robin just stared at the man until the general shrugged. "Never mind. Our honeymoon and having lots to do around the estate will soon distract you enough. You will come to think of this place as home, Robin, I promise."

The boy wasn't convinced but he knew that this was how it was for most married women, and men too. Marriages were arranged, sometimes with no previous contact at all, and people seemed to survive it… so he guessed he would too. But he was absolutely sure that the days where he enjoyed his life was over.

Slade left him alone, saying that he'd tell their guests that his wife had a headache and that he'd join them again after some rest.

"No more than an hour. We can't be bad hosts, Robin," the man warned him as he left.

The boy actually lay down on the bed and closed his eyes for a bit, regaining his composure. Could he trust what Slade told him? His instincts, surprisingly, said yes. The man really had no reason to lie and he didn't seem like a man who would lie about something like this. Brutal honesty seemed to be his preference.

It was a bit flattering that the man had fallen for him instantly, like that. Almost a bit… romantic. Robin shook his head, angry at himself again. He had listened to Starfire reading too many romance novels out aloud!

In his irritation he made a decision. He was going down to see Red! Everyone was busy with the guests, he was sure it was a perfect time. He washed his face, made sure he looked alright and set off on the mission.

It took a while to find his bearings, locate the right stairwell at the back of the house, and then wait in the shadows until he was sure he was alone. Unfortunately it turned out that the house stored a lot of things down there which was needed in the kitchen and for the guests, like the wine and food, so he had to wait. He then quickly and quietly snuck down the stairs and came to a hallway. He knew what direction to go in, but he was clever enough to sneak a peek around the corner first. Someone was sitting by the door. He recognized one of the men who had been with Slade at Wayne manor. Robin quietly made it up the stairs again, his heart sinking. There was no way he could risk trying to speak with Red now, because the man would tell Slade if he so only caught a glimpse of Robin. Speaking through the window would only mean that the guard would hear Red and sound the alarm. Robin sighed and headed back out into the garden where he met a smiling Slade who, in front of some guests, chastely kissed his cheek and asked if he had had a good rest.

The next day was pretty much the same thing. Robin had been pretending to be very tired the night before and excused himself early, feigning being asleep when the man joined him in the bed. In the morning, however, he hadn't been that lucky. He had been awoken very early by kisses and fondling hands and was already hard and leaking by the time he was aware what was going on. Again it had been pleasurable, although Robin was still embarrassed about the whole thing and spent half the morning blushing again. Several times he noticed people looking at him, giggling and whispering. Damn leeches, they should just get off his lawn! They had gotten enough free food already, the party was over!

Actually, as it was the last day of festivities, all of them left either in the early afternoon or evening, apart from the Wayne clan who had a long way to go. Slade had told Bruce about Red and that they were to make sure to bring him home with them, although he hadn't told him any details. The lord had been surprised and a bit irritated at his employee's behavior, but as the general was willing to overlook it, so was he.

The morning they were going to leave, Robin had quite an argument with his husband, though.

"I need to see him!"

"I've already told you no. End of discussion," Slade frowned.

"But you don't understand!" Robin tried. "If I don't get a chance to talk to him, he will try to make it back here!"

"And you're saying you're going to tell him not to, and not make plans to run away with him?"

Robin sank down in a chair, rubbing his face with his hands. He wasn't crying, he was just frustrated. "I'm married to you now," he said. "You've made it very clear that it's in my family's best interest that I stay that way. I just want to stop him from killing himself. Please! If Red dies because I didn't get a chance to talk to him, I'll never forgive you!"

The man seemed to hesitate, so the young man added: "you can be right there if you want to! My words won't weigh as heavily as he'll think you're making me say it, but still… if you don't trust me, you can be there."

"Fine. You'll get a few minutes, in the courtyard as they are leaving."

"Thank you," Robin said with a relieved sigh. "That was all I wanted."

* * *

It was harder to say goodbye than he thought, and he already thought it would be hard. His sisters openly cried while he tried to hold his tears back. Even Garfield was subdued, clutching his puppy.

"Remember what I told you, Son," Bruce said seriously. "You'll always have a home at Wayne manor. I think you can be happy here, though. Just give it some time."

"I will, father, and I think so too," Robin smiled, lying through his teeth.

The family when said their goodbyes to Slade and Robin finally got to talk to Red.

"Are you alright? Did they hurt you?" Robin whispered. He knew Slade was keeping an eye on him but he also knew that the man wouldn't physically do anything in front of Bruce, so he thought they were somewhat safe.

"No, but how about you?" Red asked. "He… you two… didn't you?"

"We're married," Robin stated as an indirect answer to the question. "But he didn't hurt me, I swear!"

"He's a monster!"

"Yes, but a rather civil one," Robin tried to joke. "Red, you can't come back here, promise me! I have to stay married to him, I really do, and if you come here and you'll be killed! I'll write you like I said and then I might be allowed to come home for Christmas…"

"This whole thing is wretched." Red's voice was hoarse, on the verge of breaking. "Our plans, our dreams…"

"I know, I know…" Robin sighed, close to sobbing himself. "They just have to stay dreams… for now… I mean, he _is_ much older than me… maybe one day?"

"I'm almost wishing for a civil war so he can go get himself killed," Red muttered. They looked at each other, half smirking despite everything.

"Just promise you won't do anything stupid."

"I promise," Red reluctantly sighed. "I'll work hard and one day I might be the stable master. If I lose my place we might never find each other again, after all… I'm going to learn how to write, though!"

"Good… I'm going to miss you so much…" Robin's tears finally spilled over and he flew into the redhead's arms, hugging him tightly. Slade could go to hell, he needed to say goodbye properly! It took a cough from Bruce for them to separate again, and no, Slade wasn't looking happy but not enraged either, like he accepted that it had to happen. Soon the carriage with the following wagon rolled out of the gates, accompanied by those on horseback. Robin stood by the gates and waved until he couldn't see them anymore. He then turned around, shoulder's sagging. There stood the huge house which was now his home. His husband was waiting to escort him back to it. The prison and the warden.

"How are you feeling?" Slade asked him as he offered the boy his arm, which Robin took automatically.

"Torn in pieces," Robin answered truthfully.

"I'm sorry."

Robin looked up at him, probably with an incredulous look on his face because Slade continued. "I am. I would prefer it if you wanted to stay with me, of course I would. But like I said; I'm sure I can change your mind."

"Yes, Sir," the boy sighed.

"How about a ride to start with? Would you like to ride an Arabian?"

Robin did, but he was torn as he also didn't want to seem so easily bribed, and he was emotionally drained as well. He decided to agree in the end, though, because he simply needed something else to think about, or he'd go crazy.

Robin liked his old mare well enough, but this young gelding made him feel like he was truly flying. It was like the horse barely touched the ground! They rode in forests and over fields and then up hills which provided a wonderful view.

"Is that the ocean?" Robin asked, pointing to the horizon.

"It is," Slade nodded. "I have a summer house by the beach, but I haven't used it much since the boys left home. We can go there for a week or two next year, if you would like. We could go after our honeymoon too, of course, but the house isn't easy to heat in the autumn and winter."

"We've been to the seaside on holidays, I really enjoy it. I usually go looking for fossils, they are so exciting!" Robin let the man know.

"I have a small collection of my own, you are free to go through it if you want to. I've only started cataloging them. I bought a few books on the subject…"

"Thank you, I'd like that very much." Robin gave the man a smile which, if it wasn't exactly _warm_ it was at least was _getting_ there.

"You're welcome. Let's ride down to the lake and water the horses before we head back. It's a warm day," Slade said and took off.

Robin followed. His horse was hot on the bit and wanted to race the other one. The boy wasn't a good enough rider not to be nervous about that, but he was competent enough to handle it for now.

As the horses drank he and Slade stretched their legs a bit. Robin massaged his backside which was still sore after the long ride to Wilson Court and now had gotten a sharp reminder of what a saddle felt like. He looked over his shoulder and spotted his husband leering at him. Realizing where his hands were, Robin immediately removed them.

"Don't looking at me like that!" he complained.

"That, my dear, is an impossible task," the man purred and embraced him from behind. He then kissed the boy's neck, something Robin had discovered made his knees very weak. Expecting it to stop there, Robin just let it happen, until he felt Slade's hand starting to push his trousers down.

"Sir!" the boy exclaimed."What are you… we're outside!"

"Yes, and alone… for now. That doesn't excite you?"

"No!"

Slade palmed the young man's crotch. "Liar," he chuckled.

"I'm not the one lying, _it_ is!" Robin growled as his trousers fell to the ground, followed by his underclothes. He drew a surprised breath as he was then lifted up and carried a little bit up among the trees.

Slade sat down against a tree and had Robin straddle him. The young man's long shirt and riding jacket gave him a little cover but the man brashly unbuttoned his own pants, letting his hard length out. Robin couldn't help but draw in breath as he saw it again. He was sure that he'd never get used to the idea that something so big could fit inside him, end yet he knew it fitted perfectly. His resolve started wavering a bit.

"We… we don't have any oil, though?" he said, his eyes still on the length, and wetting his lips nervously.

"I come prepared," Slade said and withdrew a small vial from his coat pocket. Robin gave him a dirty glare, but couldn't help but squirm as the man slicked up his shaft and then wiped his hand on the thick soft grass beneath them. The man then grabbed the boy's hips and made him sit up further, so the hard shaft could press between his cheeks. The boy allowed it, adjusting and spreading his knees as he needed to get in a good position. Part of him felt guilty for agreeing so readily, but so far their couplings had felt good. Very good. And he had no right to refuse; this was his duty. As long as it was a pleasurable one, who was he to complain?

The head was at his opening; just pressing firmly against it the way Slade seemed to prefer entering him. Robin preferred it too; he had a feeling it would hurt a lot if it was just pushed inside. This way his body got a chance to get used to it and open up by itself. They hadn't done it like this before though, and he was a little tense.

"Come here," Slade pulled the boy towards him, his length still held in place, and started kissing him. That was enough of a distraction and Robin suddenly felt himself sliding down on the shaft. He gasped and the feeling elicited a pleased grunt from Slade as well.

"Oh!" was all Robin could say. "Oh…" he was down to the hilt now; it was so deep inside him!

"Ride it," his husband ordered. Robin gave him a confused look until he suddenly understood. He raised himself up and, carefully, let himself down again. Another careful move. Another, a little faster. Next he rose a little further up, and quickly sank down again. Robin threw his head back as he went faster and faster. This was brilliant! He didn't care that his thighs burned by now, he couldn't possibly stop! Then the man's fingers wrapped around the young man's length and started pumping it at the same speed. Robin's nails dug deeply into Slade's shoulders, and loud moans of pleasure echoed out over the lake.

As they got dressed Robin's shame and sense of decency returned.

"I don't think decent people are supposed to do it outside. And during the day too!" he told his husband as he got back up in the saddle, wincing slightly.

"You'd be surprised, dear," the man replied, chuckling. "Would you like to bring this horse on our trip, by the way? I don't think it's a good idea to bring your mare, it will be a long journey, it might be too much for her… but I'll leave that decision up to you."

Robin almost felt like he abandoned his horse, but he nodded in agreement. "Will we be riding the whole way?"

"Of course not, we'll have the best of carriages, but if I sit still all day my legs start itching," the man grinned at him. Robin had to grin back. He knew that feeling very well.

"When will we leave?"

"Tomorrow. Didn't I tell you? I apologize."

"Tomorrow? I have a lot of letters to write!" Robin exclaimed. "I haven't even had time to write to Victor at all!"

"I should write my sons as well, I have to tell them about their new stepmother, after all."

"Please don't use that term ever again," Robin growled and his husband chuckled teasingly.

Back at the house Robin barely had time to dismount before a woman he barely recognized hurried up to him.

"Lady Wilson, would you-"

"I'm not a lady!" Robin snapped, glaring at Slade. "Slade, I refuse being called 'lady'!"

"Mrs. Woods, tell the other servants he should be addressed as Lord Wilson," the general ordered. "Now, what was on your mind? Robin, this is Mrs. Ann Woods, our cook."

"I'm sorry, Lord Wilson;" the woman let him know in a rush. Robin nodded and she continued. "If you would like to go over the menu for tonight and the list of food you'd like to bring on your trip, I'd…"

"Ann, who was in charge of all that before the general and I got married?" Robin asked in a tired voice.

"Well, I was, but-"

"Then please continue making decisions, I'm sure it will be fine," Robin interrupted.

"Robin, I _do_ want you to learn how this house is run, remember your position," Slade told him firmly.

The boy gave him another look and handed over the reins to a stable boy. Fine. Let's go take a look then," he gave in.

"Oh, good. Mr. Parker and Miss Harris would like a word as well."

Mr. Parker was the house butler, Robin knew and he suspected Miss Harris was the Housekeeper. Cooks, butlers, housekeepers and valets counted among the 'upper staff' in the very rigid servant hierarchy. Those were the ones that the owners mostly dealt with directly when it came to things concerning the inside of the estate. Robin's home had had this system too, but the cook at Wayne manor ruled over a small kitchen of four or so people, the kitchen he now entered was huge and busy.

"Do the general really eat this much?" Robin joked.

"This is for the servant's meals," the woman explained like he hadn't understood that. "Three warm meals a day for a staff of a hundred, that keeps a body busy! And then the dinners the general holds, the balls, the guests. This house is seldom empty for long."

The young Lord Wilson felt a bit strange as she said that. He rather preferred being left alone with the man, getting to know him, than being surrounded by strangers all the time.

It all took almost two hours as Robin was dragged here and there, being asked about things he had absolutely no idea about. He ended up walking with the housekeeper past the kitchen once more when he heard the voices of two girls.

"Did you hear that the Lady wants her eggs soft boiled in the morning?"

"Oh, la-di-daa!" the other one replied and it was followed by wild giggling. Robin heard the housekeeper gasp next to him, and he already knew that he was 'the Lady'. Apparently someone had heard him say that he preferred soft boiled eggs at breakfast the day after the wedding, or maybe Slade let them know, but apparently it was funny. He knew the servants talked about and made fun of the family, it was almost tradition and he wasn't angry, exactly, but it still stung a little. He stepped into the kitchen and decided on a little bit of revenge.

"Yes, I do," he said, scaring the poor girls, who couldn't have been more than twelve and were probably scullery maids, so they almost fainted. "Don't you think this kitchen can provide soft boiled eggs, is that the problem?" he asked sweetly but with an edge to his voice. The rest of the staff in the kitchen were just staring at three of them, afraid to even move. The cook came through another door, wiping her hands and then stopping as well.

"What is going on here? Oh, My La- My Lord! Can I help you?"

"Your staff seems to doubt your ability to cook eggs," Robin told her. "Or they question my taste, I'm not sure. Apparently you have been informed that I like them soft boiled?"

"Yes, one of the footmen told me, he had picked it up and thought we should oblige without being asked first… was he wrong?"

"Not at all. And, come to think of it, the eggs I've eaten since then have been perfect. Thank you."

"Would you like me to fire the girls, Sir?" the cook asked, her eyes glowing with indignant rage as she looked at the two poor things, who turned even more white.

"No, no. I understand a joke as much as the next person, and I know how the staff talks. My best friend back home is a stable boy," he let them know. "Now, this _lady_ has to write some letters. Where is the best place for that?"

The housekeeper showed him to a study which he apparently shared with Slade. There were two main clues which told him that: the two desks and the fact that Slade was already sitting at one. His was a large, heavy one of dark oak, while Robin's was much daintier, obviously made for a woman. Still, this was probably how things had been set up for generations; no one was trying to slight him, so it was silly to make a fuss about it.

"There you are," his husband said like he had been loitering around on purpose.

"There were many things to deal with," Robin answered.

"And are those things finished?" the general wanted to know.

Robin gave the housekeeper a pleading look and she nodded. "We'll manage just fine now, Sir," she let them know.

"Good, good," Slade nodded. "Then I understand if you want to start on your correspondence."

Robin wanted to, very much. He would be able to write to his family on his travels, of course, and he intended to, but he knew they wouldn't be able to write back.

The first letter was for Victor. He tried to make it sound like he was alright but hinted at Slade's power over their family. He knew his big brother, who always had been able to understand him quite well, would be able to read between the lines. Once they met again, he needed to have someone besides Red he didn't have to wear a mask in front of. He even had to wear that mask in his letter to Red, mostly because Raven would be the one reading it to him, but also because he didn't want the young man to do something they both would regret. He kept his tone warm and friendly but no more. It was cruel. He was married now, it was better if Red found someone else. In the end he couldn't help himself, though and ended the letter with 'With love, Robin'.

His letter to his father was filled with enthusiasm about the trip and the horses, and the one to his little brother as well. He was a bit more open with his sisters, saying he longed to visit them as soon as he could, but mainly kept the front up. He couldn't wait until Red could read and write, then it would be different. He added that at the bottom of his letter to him, urging him to try to learn as soon as possible.

He had had to light several extra candles before he was done, and Slade had already left the room by that time.

Robin managed to find his way back to their rooms on his own. He wanted to explore the house properly, he actually looked forwards to doing so, but it apparently had to wait until after their trip. He wasn't too happy with setting off again so soon, he would have liked to stay after being so suddenly uprooted from his home, but as usual nothing was up to him.

He shook his head. That wasn't fair; it was summer, a perfect time to travel. If they waited too long they would probably have to postpone the trip until next year, and a sign of wealth was to be able to take vacations whenever they wished, after all.

"Ah, there you are," Slade greeted him. The man was dressed in only an open shirt and trousers, his jacket and boots had been removed. "I've dismissed the valets for the night as there's something I'd like to teach you."

"Oh… what?" the young man asked carefully and rather suspiciously. His husband had a certain look in his eye which Robin was beginning to learn the meaning of.

"Now when we are to travel there might be little time for private moments between us, at least on the road. A man has needs, however, and as my wife you need to meet those needs. Come here," the man gestured to a place in front of himself.

The boy walked up to him hesitantly but obediently and glanced up at the man with worried eyes.

"Do you remember our wedding night?" the general asked.

Robin snorted. "My memory isn't that of an old man's quite yet."

"Good. Then you'll remember how I pleased you?" When the young man apparently looked confused, the general continued "With my mouth?" The boy's eyes widened in understanding. "I see you remember it well. Get on your knees."

"What… I… why would-?" Robin started to object.

"Because that is the proper position for a wife who is about to service her husband in this fashion," Slade said firmly. "I don't want to have to repeat myself, dear."

The young lord grudgingly sank to his knees. It's been a long day already, but he remembered how amazing it had felt for him and he had figured out that if he could make Slade feel the same way at least it would be over quickly. Surely it would?

"Open my trousers," The man instructed him next.

"I am not stupid, you know!" Robin told him balefully, glaring up at the man with eyes that seemed to have gone a darker shade of blue with resentment.

"Very well, let's see what else you can figure out," the general smirked down at him.

The boy huffed and unbuttoned the man's trousers. It went a bit slow, not because he was afraid but because it was a bit awkward to work the buttons from this side. He managed before his husband got impatient, however, but there was another pause as the man's length sprang free. He had never seen it this close up before, and he carefully touched it.

"It won't bite."

The boy shot the man an annoyed look and firmed his grasp, running his hands up and down it like the man had touched him. This wasn't what Slade wanted, though, and Robin knew it. He rose up a little bit higher on his knees so he could reach, and tentatively stuck his tongue out. He happened to look up at the man as the tip touched the head and saw something quite thrilling; Slade's lips parted and his eye closed. It was just for a second, barely noticeable, and then the mask was back in place, smirking down on him, but it was too late. Robin had already seen what he could do to his husband, how he could make him crumble. The young man smiled inwardly and decided to learn this skill perfectly; anything to make the general lose control.

"You were… quite enthusiastic," the general praised him not much later.

"And you lied to me," Robin growled, coughing.

"How so?"

"You told me you wouldn't squirt as much as a horse," the young man muttered, making his husband chuckle.

"You flatter me, dear. I like it," the man said as he helped the boy up and kissed him for his trouble. "Now go to bed, we'll have an early start tomorrow."

"What? But… what about-?" Robin stopped himself, not knowing if he should continue.

"What about what?" Slade asked, frowning slightly.

"Well… me?" the boy said, stepping back so the man could see the tent in his trousers and hopefully catch on. Slade did.

"What a lovely wife you are indeed," he leered and pulled the boy down on the bed.

They fell asleep later than planned that night, but at least they both did so satisfied.

 _To be continued…_

* * *

 **A/N:** Robin is a quick learner... ;)


	5. Part 5

**A/N:** Still haven't finished this story, but I've started on chapter 8 and I THINK that will be the last chapter. As I wanted the story to end on New Years (as my Christmas stories tend to do) that should mean some more frequent posting ahead. Not sure when, though…  
And Merry Christmas! It's the 24'th so it's Christmas in Sweden (or "Jul", rather).

 **The General's New Bride**

 **Part 5**

They indeed started early the next day and Robin opted to begin the journey in the carriage, away from the surprisingly chilly morning wind. He promptly fell asleep in it too, and didn't wake up until they could see the ocean spreading out in front of them, something which made him excited. He could count the times he had been to the seaside on his fingers –at least as far as he remembered− and the sight always awed him. Now he wasn't just here to visit the beach, though; they were to cross the water. On a ship. The young man tried very hard to not let his husband know that that idea frightened him, but of course the general picked up on it.

"I've been told the wind is in our favor and that we'll cross the channel in a matter of hours," Slade let him know. "The sea is rather calm as well, there will be no trouble."

"Of course not," Robin nodded, watching as their belongings, including the horses and the carriage, were being loaded. How would the ship be able to float with all that weight? He knew it would, of course, he had read a lot about ships and sea travel, but experiencing it for himself was a bit more daunting.

Excitement overshadowed the worry as they set sail, though. Slade guided him through the ship, telling him about the masts, the sails and how it all worked.

"How come you know all this?" Robin asked him in the end.

"I've sailed a lot with my troops, and it never hurts to learn instead of being idle on the sea," the man answered. Robin, who had always been curious about knowledge could appreciate that and smiled approvingly at the man. Slade raised an eyebrow, looking almost taken aback, and then smiled back.

"General Wilson!" a voice boomed behind Robin, making the young man almost jump out of his skin.

"Ah, Captain Ross, finally able to get away, I see." Slade greeted the huge, bearded man. Robin straightened up from the aura of authority surrounding captain. The general had that kind of aura as well, of course, but the young lord had somehow gotten a bit _used_ to it and didn't find it as intimidating anymore.

"I never leave the wheel until we're out of the harbor, as you know," the captain said, his voice still enough to almost pain Robin's ears. The man's skin was wrinkled and looked tough as leather, with a tan that seemed almost unnatural. The dirty blond hair and beard had some lighter colors in it, but if it was due to the sun or if he was graying with age was hard to tell.

"Let me introduce my wife," Slade then said, putting a hand on Robin's back. "This is Lord Robin Wilson."

"The lad didn't take kindly to the proper title of 'lady', I imagine?" the captain chuckled. "No need for that look, boy, I wouldn't either."

The idea that anyone would call the huge man 'lady' was so ridiculous that Robin couldn't hold back a laugh. "Pleased to meet you, Captain," he said, holding out a hand. It was grasped surprisingly gently before it was brought to the man's lips. The young man gaped as his hand was being kissed and not shaken, as expected.

"It is a gift, having such a beauty on my ship," the man grinned at him, jokingly Robin assumed. He couldn't help blushing, though.

"Now, now, captain, it's our honeymoon and I'm afraid I'm a very jealous husband," Slade chuckled, pulling the young man close to him.

"You always were, as I remember," the captain grinned. "What do you think your late wife is saying now, up in heaven?"

"If she's there I'm sure she'll be angry. She always seemed to be angry about something," the general chuckled, but his words held quite a big measure of warmth to them, which Robin felt was unnecessary. Speaking about the first wife on their honeymoon was a bit rude, wasn't it? No that Robin _cared_ , of course, but…

"Well, let's keep your new one happy, then," the captain leered. "And speaking of such chores, I'll show you to your cabin. This way."

"I thought we'd be there by the afternoon?" Robin objected. "Why would we need a cabin?"

"To freshen up, maybe have some…rest," the captain answered. "You might even want to change before the midday meal, I thought."

"Thank you, Captain, we appreciate it," Slade cut in. "Robin here is a bit nervous about the journey and is probably afraid he'd have to spend the night at sea."

"No risk of that, we'll make good time. Here we are. My quarters are right next to yours, and I hope you'll join me at the table at noon?"

"Of course. Now go make sure we don't run into any other ships… or islands…" Slade chuckled. The captain joined in the laughter and then bid farewell.

Once they opened the door there was Wintergreen and Johnson, the valets, preparing a change of clothes for lunch.

Robin looked around curiously as the servants finished and excused themselves. It was only a small cabin, but it had a bed built into the wall which looked narrow but rather cozy. There was also a table with benches on either side, all bolted to the floor.

Even though the bed looked nice Robin was glad they wouldn't have to spend the night on board. The smell below deck was musky and it was dark.

"So what do you think? Slade asked him. The man had a special tone in his voice and was coming closer. Robin gracefully maneuvered out of his way, however and headed towards the door.

"I think I prefer to go up on deck into the fresh air. The cabin is nice but it makes me feel uneasy to be stuck down here." It wasn't a lie, but it was also a way to avoid anything 'fun' the man might have had planned. He would have to wait until they were properly in bed tonight! Well, if they had a private room, of course.

"Very well, I wouldn't like you to get sea sick," his husband reluctantly agreed. "Let's see what you remember of the names of the sails."

That morning Robin's reluctance towards sailing turned into love. The salty wind, the smell of the sea, the sound of the sails catching the wind… the power of it all! He also excelled at the little quizzes Slade randomly subjected him to, and the young man enjoyed challenges of the mind.

Suddenly something small smashed into the deck next to him.

"So sorry, Sir!" a voice called from high above. Robin picked the item up, a roll of thick thread, looking towards the source of the apology. A man was up there, high in the rig, looking to be mending part of a sail which had been lowered.

"No harm done!" the young man called back. "I'll bring it back to you!"

"Robi-!" Slade started but his young husband was already climbing upwards like he was born on a ship.

"My, my, did you marry a lad or a squirrel?" Captain Ross chuckled a little bit nervously as he spotted the act.

"I'm honestly not sure," the general admitted with a sigh, watching the young man closely, waiting to try and catch him if he slipped. It was close a time or two when the boat tilted, but then Robin seemed to get a hang of the fact that his newest climbing tree moved. He had soon delivered the thread and didn't seem to want to get down, chatting with the sailor, asking questions about his work.

The view was fantastic from up there, Robin saw, and he glanced upwards wondering if he could get all the way to the top. After looking down, however, he saw Slade's upturned tiny face wearing a tiny scowl. A scowl which possibly wasn't so tiny up close. Robin sighed. This probably wasn't very 'ladylike'. He should get down before the man became angry… being all alone with an angry husband in a foreign country wasn't exactly ideal, he realized.

He climbed down quickly and had only a few meters left when Slade spoke up.

"Finally. Decided to join us on the ground again, did you?"

The man didn't sound angry, really, so Robin dared to look down on him with a cheeky smile. "It's the deck, not the ground," he pointed out.

"Just come here already, before you break your neck," the man snorted and raised his arms. Robin hesitated for a split second before chuckling and letting himself fall into the man's embrace. The general caught him easily and lowered him down back on his feet like he was made of the most fragile porcelain.

Robin's eyes locked with the man's, his breath and heartbeat still accelerated after his little adventure. He felt how flushed his face was and not all was from climbing. The man pulled him closer and Robin tilted his head back, as to not break eye contact. He was sure that he would get kissed, but then the captain coughed gently next to them, reminding them that they were in public. Not even married couples were supposed to be that frivolous in front of others.

"This is why I gave you the cabin, General," the captain stage-whispered and then laughed a booming laugh, walking away from them.

Robin drew back, ashamed of himself. It had just been such an exciting morning and he… must have gotten swept up in it all.

Suddenly a gong rang.

"Seems like it's time for lunch," the general said smoothly and offered his arm. Robin took it, still a bit red in the face, and let himself be escorted to the captain's quarters below deck.

The food was a bit heavier than Robin was used to at this time of day, and afterwards the early start and everything he had seen and done so far today took a toll on him.

"I think I'm going to rest for a bit," he told Slade.

"I'm going to speak to Wintergreen about our plans for the next couple of days and then I'll join you," his husband let him know.

The bed was soft enough. Robin had taken off his coat and boots to be more comfortable while he napped. He felt the skin on his face burning a little from the exposure to the salty wind and the sun. The ship rolled, but it was a pleasant feeling, not a nauseating one. It was like a very old memory; resting while everything moved around him. It was strangely comforting and he drifted off quickly.

When he woke the narrow bed was even more crowded. He was lying in Slade's arms –the only way they could both fit without being completely on top of each other- and could hear the man's deep, even breaths. Robin fell asleep again to that sound.

"Master Wilson!" The call, by Wintergreen, came after a short but insistent knock.

"Enter," Slade grumbled and Robin, who had also just been woken up, made a similar displeased sound. He could have slept for longer.

"Sir, are you ill?" the valet asked worriedly as he entered.

"Why would you think that?" Slade asked.

"You have been asleep the whole afternoon, we can see the port now," they were told.

"Really? That _is_ rather unlike me," Slade agreed and gave Robin an amused glance. "I guess I was too comfortable."

His young husband made a sound that could mean that he agreed.

"I haven't seen you take a nap since you were a child," Wintergreen told his master in the easy, familiar way they usually spoke to each other. "Now, we need to pack. Would you like to change before we leave the ship?"

"No, I'm sure our current clothes will do, at least for me," Slade said, leaving Robin to decide for himself. The young man saw no reason to change either, so after Johnson helped him into his coat and boots he and Slade returned to the deck. It was now dusk, the sun was setting and the gas lights from the harbor greeted them from a distance. They still had a ways to go and with navigating the harbor and unloading it would be almost two hours until they had solid ground under their feet again.

"So what do you think of your first time at sea?" Slade asked him as they were sitting in their carriage, rolling away from the rather foul smelling docks.

"I enjoyed it! I'd like to go for a longer trip some time," Robin beamed.

"Even if it means sleeping on board?" the man smirked at him.

"Well… that was actually one of the best parts," the boy grinned back.

"To be honest with you, weeks at sea with storms, scarce food and limited hygiene is not that pleasant," the man chuckled, "but I have heard of families sailing from port to port in the Mediterranean, just for pleasure. Always being close to land means plenty of fresh water and food, so that might be something to think about in the future. Would you like that?"

"I would," Robin smiled. "Although I'm not frail, I can handle anything you can face!"

The man chuckled again. "I'm sure you can. Now, we have to leave early tomorrow as I am to inspect our troops over here. Orders from the king, I'm afraid, although he had the decency to apologize for intruding on my honeymoon."

"It will be interesting, I'm sure," Robin nodded. "My brother is here somewhere, but I don't suppose…?"

"Actually, unless he has been ordered elsewhere, it's his regiment we are visiting. I can't promise you'll get a chance to meet, but I'll speak with his officer in command. He might be out on a mission, however, so try not to get too disappointed if you can't see him."

"I promise," Robin said but his expectations were already through the roof.

They had a late dinner with red wine and exotic but amazing food. Robin couldn't exactly claim he was tired after the long nap, so when they came back to the very nice inn they were staying at they didn't have a reason _not_ to make love for hours.

That, however, would be the last time for almost a week. They went to the army camp next day and Robin got to meet his brother, which meant a hug that never wanted to end. Slade had explained to him that the garrison was outside their borders to 'protect their interests' which, officially, was the trading routes coming through here but, unofficially, was the fact that the ruler of the country was suspected of supporting rebellious voices in their own. There were no official accusations and on the surface everyone was friendly, but there were tensions rippling through society on both sides.

They stayed at the camp for two days, sleeping in tents, on the ground, surrounded by half a dozen officers. Having relations, therefore, was impossible. When leaving they were joined by a small escort and then slept either under the stars or in sleeping halls, again coming between any honeymoon-ideas the general might have. During the day Slade was kept busy with work, answering and sending out correspondence and having several meetings with both his own countrymen and contacts on this side of the border.

Robin was bored beyond belief most of the time as he wasn't free to move around as he pleased. He spent time reading, brushing up on the language and fencing with an officer who he had discovered instructing some soldiers. The young man found himself growing more and more irritable, however, and it didn't get better once he realized that what he craved was Slade.

"Are we going to be on the road for much longer?" he asked grumpily the next morning. He had woken up with an almost painful arousal, which he then had to hide as unknown men were snoring around him.

"Already tired of adventure?" Slade smirked at him.

"Never. What I'm tired of is traveling for only a few miles a day and then spend the rest of the time waiting because you are busy working. I don't want to sound like a traitor, but if I ever meet the king I'll kick him."

"It is nice to be missed," Slade said it in a teasing voice, but there was a warm undertone to them, showing he meant every word.

"Yes, well…" Robin was a bit annoyed at showing his cards like this. "It is supposed to be our honeymoon and you promised we'd see some of the ancient sites I wanted to visit."

"We'll be in Paris tonight, we'll have a big apartment all to ourselves, and steaming hot baths waiting for us when we arrive. Then we'll spend a few days in the city just you and me. How does that sound?"

"It sounds like we should get on our horses and go!" Robin decided.

"Not so fast, I have to meet-"

Robin sighed, interrupting the man. "Yes, yes… I'll see you tonight then," the young man conceded and then sniffed the air. " _After_ your bath!" he added decisively.

* * *

"How can I get so filthy just from travelling?" Robin asked Johnson who was attending him while he bathed.

"I couldn't say, Sir," the man drawled.

Robin rolled his eyes behind the man's back. Johnson wasn't unfriendly in any way, he was efficient and always seemed to sense when he was intruding and when he was needed so the young man couldn't complain, but he missed the easy relationship he had had to Alfred and the other servants at Wayne Manor. Slade and Wintergreen acted more or less like friends when they spoke, why couldn't Johnson relax a little? Still, that might come with time.

"I believe you and General Wilson had reservations for tonight, Master Robin?" Johnson said, a disguised instruction to hurry up. He had implemented the title 'Master Robin' as Wintergreen already called the general "Master Wilson" and apparently had since the man was a school boy.

"We do, would you help me rinse my hair?" Robin asked.

"Of course."

Soon the young man was dried off, dressed and ready to meet his husband who had been cleaned up in the other bathroom. The apartment was vast, taking up the whole floor of the building, and didn't skimp on anything.

When Slade walked into the room Robin had to suppress a little gasp and then admit to himself that his husband was very handsome. He wasn't dressed in his usual uniform but in civilian clothes making Robin realize that he hadn't seen the man out of uniform before, even in private he tended to wear a simpler military coat. There was no sign of military regalia on this long jacket, though. It was dark green, perfectly cut and worn with a pristine white shirt and cravat. Robin was similarly dressed in dark blue and his husband seemed to appreciate what he saw as well.

Slade took Robin's hand and kissed it with a warm smile. "I'd rather don't want to take you out," he said in a low voice so the valets wouldn't overhear. "I'd like to keep you here for myself."

Robin almost agreed, but steeled himself. "You would have me starve?" he joked. "Let's go before they give away our table."

Most of the food was delicious but Robin stayed clear from a few of the dishes. Snails? Who ate snails?! He was also careful whith the wine which, somehow, felt more potent here and he didn't want to fall asleep before Slade had done his duties as a husband. The thought made him blush and give the man a look. He got a smirk back like the general knew exactly what he was thinking and the colors on his cheeks deepened.

Slade immediately dismissed the valets as they came home, and the door had barely closed behind them before the man was kissing him deeply.

"I've missed this," Slade almost growled, while deftly undoing Robin's coat buttons. The young man somewhat felt he would lose face if he admitted the same, but couldn't help the keening sound escaping his lips as they kissed again. Robin's fingers worked at the man's clothes too, as quickly as he could, and soon there were nothing left to remove.

It felt very naughty to be completely naked like this, not even a night shirt or a robe covering their bodies. It was exciting too, however, to see how aroused the man was, though the young man had no way of hiding that he felt the same way. He fell to his knees in front of the general and pleasured him with his mouth, wanting to gain the upper hand by making his husband become undone. Even after a whole week Slade had an astonishing self discipline, however, and even though he clearly enjoyed Robin's efforts he didn't lose himself in them. The young man, on the other hand, almost lost it the instant the man pulled him to his feet and bent down to suck on one of his nipples.

They made it to the bed soon after and Robin reluctantly let go of his dignity.

"In…. inside me… please!" he begged and his husband was quick to obey.

Neither of them lasted very long and although they both wanted to repeat their performance they fell asleep before gathering the energy to.

Next morning Robin did not want to get up.

"Can't we just spend the day in bed?" he asked Slade, who has just mentioned a museum he thought Robin would be interested in.

"I like that idea too," the man leered.

"To sleep," the young man clarified. "Mostly," he added truthfully.

"We have no schedule to keep, we can do what we want," the man let him know. "I thought we'd spend a few days in the city before the real traveling begins."

"You haven't even told me where we are going," the boy pointed out.

"We'll make our way down to Rome, and if that isn't enough ancient sites for you I was thinking we should go a bit further south and visit Pompeii."

"Pompeii!" Robin exclaimed, his eyes alight. "I've read all about it! I can't wait!"

"So no day in bed, then?" the man chuckled.

"Well… it will still be there," the young man reasoned. "I can't believe I'm going to get to see it, though! I begged father last year but he… we… I guess we didn't have the means for a journey like that…" he reluctantly admitted. His father hadn't said as much but looking back Robin started to realize that they had probably been worse off than he ever suspected. Maybe his marriage made sure Garfield would get to see it, though… maybe even go on the grand tour! He had read many journals from the famous rite of passage trip, which was, of course, only for the rich. Slade, it seemed, would be taking him to a few of the locations for the tour anyway.

"I should get a journal!" he decided.

"We'll buy one in the city, I'm rather sure Paris has one which is to your taste," the general smiled.

"Probably," Robin agreed with a chuckle. Then he yawned and stretched. The chilly air then made him burrow under the covers again. "I still say we have deserved a day off our feet," he let the man know.

"How about a morning, at least. We'll both be bored by lunch, but let's have breakfast in bed and then see what might keep us… busy," the man suggested.

"You are a very lecherous husband," the boy half snorted , half chuckled.

"Good thing I got myself a wife to match," the man answered back and rung the bell next to the bed while Robin's mouth was still gaping, trying to think of a reply.

Eating in bed was obviously not something the general tended to do, and Robin noticed Wintergreen giving him a look like he had ruined the man. It wasn't an unusual thing to do, however; Bruce did it quite often, so the boy really didn't care and instead enjoyed every scrap of the food.

"This marmalade is divine," he sighed and scraped up the last drops, which had fallen on his tray, with his fingers.

"Let me try that." Slade quickly caught his hand and sucked Robin's finger into his mouth. The boy immediately felt his pulse racing and the hot sensation of lust running down his spine. The man called for the trays to be taken away and just had time for a kiss before the door opened.

"Would you like to get dressed now, Sir?" Wintergreen asked with the tone saying 'get out of bed, young man'.

"No, just take the trays away. We'll ring when we're ready to start the day," Slade told him and gestured towards the bell on the nightstand. At home they had cords to pull which rang bells in the servant's hall, but this way worked too, Robin supposed, as there was only one floor.

Wintergreen left and Slade pounced. After a good night's rest in an actual, comfortable bed, they both had energy to spare. Robin had discovered that Slade was surprisingly playful in bed and the man's shameless way to enjoy the young man's body through both touch and taste had made Robin much bolder as well. He wasn't quite ready, however, as he was resting on his elbows on the verge of coming, when Slade suddenly flipped him over. His arm flew out and swiped everything off the night stand, including the bell. Neither of them noticed until Wintergreen opened the door.

"I never thought you would ring, Si- Oh, my."

"Out," Slade just grunted and continued what he was doing, kneeling with his back against the door and Robin's legs around his waist. When the door slammed, however, he took notice and slowed down. "Would you like to stop?" he asked the young man, apparently afraid he had become traumatized.

"Don't you dare!" the boy growled and pulled the man closer with his legs. He had been on the brink for too long to care if they so had an audience of a hundred.

Once he had come the situation was different, however. He was used to personal servants seeing him naked, helping with bathing and dressing and such, but this?! Wintergreen, of course, was a professional and didn't let on in the least that he had walked in on something very private, and Slade didn't seem to think it mattered at all, so Robin buried his embarrassment and tried to ignore it as well. They washed, dressed had a light lunch and then set off into the city, exploring it. Robin, who was a country boy after all, was in awe. Slade most likely saved his life more than once, dragging him out of the way of carriages and riders which the boy was too preoccupied to even notice.

They didn't return until long after dark, after having dinner, and were met by a small mountain of packages.

"Did we buy this much?" Robin gaped. Everything they had bought they had had sent back to their apartment, not wanting to carry anything around.

"Apparently." Slade shrugged unworriedly.

Robin glanced at the man. The general had, of course, paid for everything. Robin didn't have any income of his own and he missed the small allowance his father used to give him and his siblings. Asking Slade for an allowance was pointless; it would still be the man's money, after all. It was just the way it is, but even though he hadn't pictured himself as a married man for many years to come, he had assumed that he would be the breadwinner. As it was he hadn't even finished his education. Would Slade allow him to work? He decided to bring that discussion up at a better time.

"I have some letters to write," the general announced. "Maybe you would like to send some too?"

"I would," Robin nodded. "I'm going to try to find the stationary we bought, and the ribbons for the girls. I could send the book of exotic animals to Garfield as well, right?"

"Yes, better to it from here, the connections are somewhat more reliable from France," Slade nodded. "And then we won't have to bring it all with us."

Robin dug through the pile, finding what he needed as well as his new diary. It was thick, leather bound with paper which was suitable for both writing and making sketches. He hadn't written a single word yet but loved it already.

The general, seated at a desk, noticed the book as the boy carried it and the rest of the things into the study, setting it down on the other desk in the room.

"I hope you won't forget to note down the morning's events," he smirked.

"I can't write about that!" Robin blushed.

"Oh, of course you can, it will make for an interesting read for future generations," the man chuckled.

The young man drew a deep breath, preparing to tell the general something. Slade seemed to sense it and looked up at him, meeting his eyes calmly. "Yes?" he asked.

"I was just going to ask…" Robin started hesitantly. "This is my diary, Slade… I hope you won't mind if… if I ask you not to read it?"

The man stood up and slowly walked over to the boy as he spoke. "I wouldn't dream of it," he said. "We don't read each other's correspondence, do we? That book is private and off limits to anyone but yourself, unless you choose to share," he said seriously. "But," he added, "if there is something that bothers you, something serious, I expect you to come to me, Robin, is that understood?"

"Yes, of course," the young man lied. There were things he couldn't possible tell Slade. Like his thoughts and feelings about Red, for example.

"Good, then we understand each other." Slade bent down and gave him a quick kiss before returning to his desk. "I think we'll eat in tonight. Rest our legs after all that running around this afternoon, what do you say?"

"Sounds perfect," Robin agreed and took his own seat. He was soon scratching away at a letter to his father.

The letters, this time, were probably more honest and quite a bit happier than his first ones. In a special envelope, hidden in Raven's letter, he included a hand painted bookmark for Red. It contained all the letters of the alphabet as well as drawings of things starting with those letters. Robin had been very happy to discover that one side of it was in English and the other in French, probably because it was bought on a road that attracted a lot of tourists. The general hadn't commented when he bought it, probably assuming it was for his younger brother, to go with the book.

When it was time for dinner the parcel was all wrapped and ready to be sent along with Slade's five letters. The valets took care of it all while the couple settled down to eat. Robin was so tired that he kept stabbing the plate instead of his food with the fork and Slade, laughing, sent him to bed not long after. The young man didn't quite fall asleep until he felt his husband get into bed with him, and an arm encircled his waist. Then he let out a deep sigh and drifted off immediately.

* * *

The rest of their honeymoon, though it lasted almost two months, seemed to go by in a blur. Robin had an adventure of a lifetime and Slade seemed to enjoy himself immensely as well. Not all was candle lit dinners and kisses in the moonlight, however. No, they argued their fair deal as they tried to figure out their respective roles in the marriage. Well, as Slade tried to decide their respective roles and Robin objected to them, that was. The young man soon learned that he had a certain hold on the general too, and then tried to exploit that until the man caught on and simply put him over his knee. Basically they learned each other boundaries; which were alright to push and prod at and which they should never cross.

They returned to England being closer than when they left, but back in the house Robin was feeling at a disadvantage again. He childishly wished they could just move somewhere else, but that, of course, was out of the question. Still, he dreamed of the small house –only six bedrooms! – they had stayed in for a week in Italy. He had drawn it in his journal, quite well too, and told Slade that he wanted to live in a house like that some day. The man had chuckled and said that when his eldest son settled down, maybe Robin and the general could graciously leave the family seat to his family and settle somewhere else. The young man both liked and feared the idea because yes, he wanted to live in a smaller, more intimate house, but the thought of Slade getting old didn't appeal to him like it once had.

The first thing he did when they came home was to go see his old mare. She looked better than ever and gave him a suspicious look when he walked up to the large paddock she and her friends were grazing in. It looked like she was saying 'you're not going to take me away from here, are you?'. She obviously had it good.

Robin then went inside and was soon presented with a big pile of letters which he took into the library to read in private.

* * *

"You seem a bit quiet this evening, are you feeling well?" Slade asked him during dinner.

"Hm?" Robin raised his head from where he was looking down on his plate, playing with a piece of meat. "Oh, yes, I just… I've been reading letters from home. Can we go for a visit during Christmas, you think?"

Slade frowned slightly but then shrugged. "We'll have to see. It's only September, after all. It depends on several things. But we'll be busy enough; we'll have to hold a dinner soon and we are going to host the October hunt. That will be a big event with guests from all over the country."

"Will you invite father?" Robin asked perking up.

"Of course," Slade nodded, but it was rather clear he hadn't intended to. "Is your brother old enough to hunt, you think?"

"He's not, and he wouldn't even if he was. He loves animals, it's difficult to even get him to eat meat."

"I see." Slade's voice betrayed that he thought the boy strange, but he didn't make any further comment about it. "I will write your father. I have to warn him not to include a certain… party, however."

"Of course," Robin nodded solemnly. He might ache to see Red, even more so after getting the first letters from him, short and with horrible spelling and handwriting, but incredibly dear to him. He couldn't let Slade know about his feelings or the letters, though, and he did feel slightly guilty about going behind his husband's back like this, but what was he to do? His heart refused to listen to reason! He decided to write about it in his journal tonight. He had became increasingly more honest as the weeks passed, and now gladly wrote even about the raunchy things he and his husband got up to, although he tended to use some metaphors instead of describing all things in detail… to be honest he didn't even know how to describe all of what they did, and he was too embarrassed to ask Slade what certain things were called.

"Now, what do you say we go remind that bed of ours what it was made for?" the general suggested with a leer.

"Good idea," Robin smirked back. "I'm quite sleepy."

Slade chuckled and offered his arm to the boy as he passed him. The boy rolled his eyes but took it.

Once they were done reminding the bed of their existence, Robin needed to catch his breath.

"I'm surprised women have the stamina to do this all the time," he said.

"Well, women are not always accommodating," the general told him.

"They aren't…? But… isn't it their duty?" the young man wanted to know.

"Well, yes, but not all women are agreeable all the time."

"So if I wasn't agreeable?" Robin asked.

Slade rolled over towards him and rested on his side, looking down on the young man. "Do you have anything to complain about when it comes to our relations?" the general asked.

"Um… no?" Robin answered, a bit intimidated.

"That sounded rather unsure."

"Well, I don't know what to compare with!" the young man defended himself. "How am I supposed to know if something could be improved without that?"

Slade chuckled and kissed him. "You have to trust me, then, when I tell you that it's very good. _I,_ after all, have more points of reference."

Robin wanted to ask exactly how many references the man had, but decided against that. Instead he snorted and rolled his eyes. "Yes, sir. Of course," he muttered.

"That's my good, obedient little wife," Slade grinned, making Robin snort again.

 _To be continued…_

* * *

 **A/N:** Stop teasing Robin like that, Slade, or the "good obedient little wife" will kick you in the face. Well.. we all know he would have done that a long time ago if he was present-day Robin… he's a child of his time, though and doing something like that would be unthinkable… probably… ;)


	6. Part 6

**A/N:** So now we're gonna post a bit more often as the last chapter (chapter 8) is supposed to come out on New Years Eve… I just have to finish it… *panic* So Chapter 7 should be out in two days or so… So where were we? That's right, back home and it's time to settle into everyday life… good luck with that, Robin…

* * *

 **The General's New Bride**

 **Part 6**

The next morning the preparations for the big dinner started. Robin was asked this and that until his ears almost fell off, but he tended to just let Miss Harris decide. He didn't know anything about colors and table cloths and china! Still, he apparently had to be consulted on every little issue.

He was glad when the day arrived and he could just sit down and eat with their forty guests. He was told that everything looked fantastic and he had to agree that it did, although he could take no pride in it as he hadn't done anything. Did women just know these things or where they trained to, he wondered? The whole event left him feeling a bit… empty. He had no purpose. He knew he would be having tutors soon, as Slade had written and requested some, but until then he seemed to be drifting around. He had explored the whole house by now and gotten lost a time or two, if only for a little while. He had found paintings of previous generations, including Slade's late wife and his sons. He wondered if the man would commission a portrait of him as well. And where would that hang? In the portrait gallery like hers, or stuck away in some dark corridor, somewhere? He wondered what would happen if he demanded to have a portrait made to take the place of hers. He had a feeling it wouldn't go down well and he didn't particularly want that either, so he didn't ask. He just wrote it down in his journal. He was getting even bolder now… he had been worried that Slade would break his promise to read it, so after coming home Robin had set up all sorts of traps, like leaving one of his hairs, fastened with a bit of spit, across the opening, so he could see If it had been touched. Nothing had happened. Then he had left the diary out, open to a page where he had written how much he wanted to go on a picnic. Slade had not offered to take him, which the young man considered proof that he hadn't read it, because the general was usually swift when it came to fulfilling wishes… within reason, of course.

So Robin had started writing about Red, and hiding the stable boy's letters between the pages of the journal as well. He was trying to figure out his feelings, but the physical distance between them and the lack of free communication was maddening. Conflicting feelings grew as well. He wanted Red to be happy, to not be alone, but the thought of the young man with someone else made Robin grind his teeth in jealousy. And still they couldn't be together, it was impossible, so why even dream about such things? He should be content with Slade, and the fact was that the man had turned out to be a good husband, despite their differences. The marriage was much better than Robin had ever dreamed, as he had been so sure to be doomed to a life of misery with the general. Nothing was further from the truth, but it still felt like a big piece of his heart was missing…

All this he wrote about, but reached no new conclusions. It was as it was. Nothing to be done about it… but hopefully, he'd be able to sort it out at Christmas!

The dinner eventually ended and Slade stood up.

"Maybe the gentlemen would be interesting in some cards and brandy in the game room?" he suggested. Robin looked up expectantly, as he always enjoyed playing with his father and siblings. The look the general gave him was pointed, though, and he remembered his place with a sinking heart.

"And maybe the ladies would like to join me in the main drawing room for some… tea?" he offered instead, earning a pleased nod from his husband. Robin seethed but wouldn't let it show. This was his job now. Slade had told him quite sternly to make sure to be a great 'hostess', without being able to offer any real advice on how to do it.

"What do women even talk about?!" Robin has asked in frustration.

"I don't know, but they seem to do it a lot," his husband has answered airily.

"You were married to one!"

"Yes, but I didn't join her and the other ladies, did I? As far as I remember, when she talked about her evening the names of the women who _weren't_ present seemed to come up a lot."

"So gossip? I don't know any gossip!"

"Well, you have just returned from a long trip, tell them about that and then ask what you missed when you were away."

Robin had nodded, but the good advice had by now completely fled his memory which was as blank as the stares of the twenty women looking at him, seated around the room.

"So…" Robin started, and then his brain supplied a question, something he had been pondering for some time now. "How often is it normal for a husband to want relations?" When he got wide eyed stares back he added; "because Slade wants to do it a _lot_."

As he said the last word Robin's brain caught up to him and he wanted, very, very much, to die on the spot. Then someone started giggling. Then the room exploded, although not literally. Robin was told that he was very funny indeed, and then a discussion about men in the bedroom started and never seemed to want to end.

"The ladies seemed pleased. I haven't seen old Lady Greenhall look so bright-eyed in years," Slade told him as the doors closed on the last couple. "Did you find an interesting topic to talk about?"

"Quite," Robin said with a little groan.

"And what did you learn?"

"Men are either lecherous pigs or can't get it up enough, usually at once," Robin muttered.

The man gave him a look. "I'm not sure I want to know."

"You don't," the boy agreed.

* * *

Soon the preparations for the hunt started. It was to be a huge affair which would last for five days and end with a big ball. There would be hunts for deer, pheasant, fox and grouse, one for each day, leaving the last day free for festivities.

As usual Robin was feeling rather useless when it came to all the questions he got. Slade was in the room at one point when the housekeeper and cook suggested the week's dinner menu to him. He agreed with their suggestions and sent them on their way.

"You don't seem to care much about the arrangements," the general noted dryly from his desk.

"I don't know anything about these things," Robin defended himself. "Better leave it to the people who do."

"So you approved their choices for the menu?"

The boy hesitated. "Well… it's a hunting event and I found it strange that there were no game on the menu… I mean, having deer for dinner on the day of the deer hunt would be fitting, perhaps? But maybe it's difficult to get enough meat in advance?"

"Go talk to the game keeper about what's needed and change the menu accordingly. We don't have to serve only deer or pheasant, the meat can be a mere ingredient which will feed more. Ask him if he thinks he can bring in a deer or two soon and see what we have in the larder."

"I… alright," Robin said and stood up. He then hesitated in the doorway. "I know you want me to take charge, Slade, but… it will never be enough for me. I'm just _not_ the 'lady of the house'. You married the wrong person." After, gently, speaking his mind he left, hoping his husband wouldn't be too angry with him.

* * *

"Your tutors should be here next week."

Robin looked up from his dinner. He had been tense all day, expecting his husband to somehow punish him for his disinterest in his duties. This was the first the man had said to him since then, however.

"Oh? In history? Biology?"

"As well as French, Italian, German, Astronomy, Geography, Mathematics… I figured you would be interested in all the major sciences."

"And... religion?" Robin asked.

"It's hardly a science, is it?" Slade smirked. "The only thing religion is good for is controlling the masses."

The young man blinked. "But… surely you must believe…"

"Must I?" Slade asked innocently and then raised his wine glass, studying the young man above the rim with an amused expression.

Robin's mind reeled. There had been so many inconstancies between what some of his tutors and books said compared to what the local priest taught, but you didn't argue with a man of the church. Raven had learned that when she questioned why there were no female priests. As the young woman didn't back down, Bruce had to step in before she was publicly shamed as a heretic. The idea that someone, even someone who questioned certain parts of the teachings, wouldn't believe at _all_ was a staggering thought to Robin, however. A forbidden thought. Forbidden and very… tempting. Almost familiar.

"Is that why you don't go to mass?" he asked. He had been struggling with that himself after they came back. He had forgotten about such things during the honeymoon and once they returned he felt like he should go, but he also loathed the priest who had betrayed him and Red.

"Oh, I go. On the important occasions and every once in a while," Slade answered.

"But… you don't believe?"

"No, but as I said… it's about controlling the masses. Keeping up appearances. The Supreme Governor of the Church of England is the king, and I'm the closest person to the king in these parts. In a way, I'm the closest thing they have to a god."

Robin almost spluttered at the blasphemy, but the man only chuckled at him. Then the boy frowned. "Wait… you told me that God would punish me if… if someone else touched me."

"Yes, I did."

"But you don't believe that?"

"Obviously not."

"So why- oh."

"Yes. Control."

"You lied to me." Robin felt humiliated and wondered what else the man had lied about.

"I think we have gotten far enough in our relationship that you might hesitate about running back home," the man shrugged. "Besides, did you really believe God would punish you?"

"Well… maybe not directly…" Robin admitted.

"Do you believe I would?"

"Yes." No hesitation there. The thought of Slade's wrath if the man ever found him in someone else's arms made the boy shiver.

"Well then. There you go."

"We're back to you being God?" Robin snorted.

"Certainly. Maybe you should worship me a bit on your knees later?" the man leered at him.

"No one ever put you in your place, did they?" Robin muttered. He hadn't exactly intended for the man to hear it, but Slade did.

"Oh, they tried. They really tried," he answered smugly.

* * *

At breakfast the next morning two letters from Lord Wayne arrived, one addressed to the general and one to Robin. The boy opened his eagerly. He still felt quite homesick at times and he was looking forward to seeing his father soon. In the meanwhile, seeing his familiar handwriting had to be enough.

As he read his face fell.

"Bad news?" Slade asked.

"He's… not coming." Robin answered, having to swallow so his voice wouldn't crack from disappointment. "He has to travel for business."

"I see." The general didn't seem to think it was a very big loss at all.

"Well… I guess I'll have to wait for Christmas to see them," Robin sighed and stood up, leaving the letter by his plate. "I'm going out for a ride, I need some air."

"I'll join you," Slade said, but Robin shook his head.

"I'd rather be alone. I'm just going around the lake."

Slade gave him a thoughtful look but then nodded. "Very well."

The lake had become Robin's favorite place to go to think. He either rode or walked. It wasn't far at all as the bird flew, and it was a popular place to cool off after a long day's work. Now it was getting a bit too chilly to bathe, and Robin had no interest in doing so anyway. The lake was rather narrow just where the path ended and on the other side the road to the nearest town passed by, so there were a few row boats tethered by the beach for those who wanted a shortcut, instead of walking around.

He rode his old mare around the lake, just letting his mind drift. He wasn't exactly angry with his father, just disappointed. He toyed with the thought of just taking off back home, but knew that Slade wouldn't appreciate something like that. To say the least. No, better wait patiently for Christmas, Robin concluded, but sighed. The first of October was just around the corner, so it wasn't too long left. Once he handed his horse over to a stable boy he was more harmonious again.

* * *

The hunt was soon upon them and Robin had begged to be allowed to join until Slade had given in. His particular group didn't get to as much as _see_ any deer, but the pheasant hunt went well. Robin didn't go on the fox-hunt, however. He didn't quite like the idea of hunting an animal that they wouldn't eat.

The last day of the festivities the general got a message. Robin watched him from the bed, his breakfast tray still in his lap, as the man read it. Slade was standing half dressed with Wintergreen patiently waiting with the cufflinks. The general frowned.

"What is it?" Robin asked.

"Duty calling. Wintergreen, prepare for me to leave tomorrow."

"Where are we going?" the boy asked.

"You aren't going anywhere. The king is personally sending me and my men to teach some political rebels in the Black Country a lesson."

"Will you be away long?" Robin wanted to know worriedly.

"A month, maybe two."

"You might be gone over Christmas, then?"

"I will try to be back in time," the man reassured him.

"Maybe I should go to my father? Then you can come directly there for-"

"No."

"But-"

"No. I will return in time and I want my wife here waiting for me."

"But I'll be all alone!"

"You'll have a house to run, and the grounds too while I'm away. I'm sure you'll keep busy" Slade said in such an offhandedly way that Robin swore to himself not to miss the man one bit.

* * *

He broke that promise after only a day. The huge mansion felt empty without Slade there. Not that they had spent every moment together, far from it, but Robin had always been able to seek his husband out whenever he felt like it, and if he had been curled up with a book in the library for a few hours Slade was sure to come find him as well. The empty bed felt cold, the sounds in the night stranger, the night itself darker. He was lonely. He didn't socialize with the help, of course, that just wasn't _done_ , not in this house. He couldn't even talk to Johnson about anything other than what to wear and when to have lunch. When two tutors arrived Robin perked up, but the men were quite old and kept to themselves outside of lessons.

He wrote about all this in his letters to both Slade and Red. His journal also filled up with complaints.

He tried to keep busy by digging out Christmas presents he had bought for his family on his honeymoon and wrapping them carefully, but that only took a single afternoon it what seemed like a sea of days.

The general wrote him diligently, his letters arriving with the army's own deliverymen twice or three times a week. The man always waited for a reply over night and then returned with Robin's letter. The boy didn't hesitate to torture his husband with descriptions of how exactly he missed him in bed, a little revenge for not only abandoning him –he understood that the man had a duty, after all− but for leaving him all alone and not allowing him to go home.

The general gave as good as got in his own letters, however, telling his young husband what exactly he intended to do with him the moment he got home. Where, how and how many times. Robin spent many nights with the man's letter in one hand and his length in the other.

* * *

By the middle of November it got really cold and Robin woke up to a world covered in white. Winter had come early, and with a vengeance. The lake was soon frozen over and he watched with awe as a road across it was plowed using two big workhorses. Further away some men were working with spits and saws to take up ice to be stored in the deep cellars for future use. Men and children then gathered around the openings to try their luck at fishing, more for fun than anything else. More of the lake was cleared and the townspeople came down to ice skate and socialize. He watched it all from the mansion, feeling lonelier than ever. He tried to join them at first, but people starting scraping their feet, going 'yes, my Lord' and 'no, my Lord'. The laughter and jokes died down around him and eventually he gave up. He didn't want to make people uncomfortable, and obviously he was. So he watched from the window instead, curled up in the window seat, writing another letter to Red. The redhead could read better now and write rather well too. Robin still hid his letters to him inside one to Raven or Starfire, of course, but he could finally be more personal. He still tried to hold back, both for Red's sake and as his conflicting feelings still refused to make things clear to him.

* * *

Robin was in bed, writing in his diary, even though it was the middle of the afternoon. He had been feeling a little bit warm this morning, a cold coming on, and as the house was buzzing with Christmas preparations he preferred to stay here, out of the way. It was only two weeks until Christmas and Slade was still not home. Robin sighed and reached for the letter to Red which he was also working on when hasty footsteps was heard outside.

"Master Robin!" His valet was knocking urgently on the door.

"Johnson? Come in, what is it?" The young man's heart started beating faster in worry. He hadn't heard anything from Slade in almost a week, could he be hurt? Worse?"

"We just had a messenger from the village! The regiment is returning! The general will be here any moment!"

Robin almost threw the letter and the diary to the side. "I need to get dressed! Where's my nice coat? The dark blue one?"

After hurriedly getting presentable Robin rushed down and out on the stairs.

"Master! Your furs!" his valet objected and came after him, sweeping a warm coat around his shoulders. Robin couldn't care less, he felt warm enough as he eagerly stared past the gates down the long straight drive way. It was hard to see clearly because the snow and wind was picking up and it was already getting dark, but eventually, as he just started to shiver, there were glimmers of torches and a distant neigh from a horse.

The dark shape of riders could soon be seen against the snow, and one barged ahead of the rest. Robin ran out into the courtyard to greet his husband, who was out of the saddle before the horse had come to a halt.

The young man found himself swept up in an embrace, an unusually big public display of affection. Robin threw his arms around the man's neck, however, and their lips met. Half the household might be watching from the stairs and the rest of them from the windows, but the boy didn't care. Besides, it was rather dark.

"Missed me, then?" the man chuckled as they parted.

"Immensely," Robin admitted shamelessly. "I was afraid you wouldn't make it home for Christmas. We have to leave in a day or two to get there in time!"

"Get where?" Slade asked.

"To Wayne Manor, of course!" Robin snorted.

"Oh, I've been away long enough. We're staying home for Christmas," Slade told him and then turned to the head groomsman who had come out with his groomers and stable boys to take care of the horses who were now arriving in the courtyard. "I hope you have room to house them, Mr. Parker. Give them a good rub down, they need it after this," he added, turning to the butler, "Parker, house my men for the night, please. The lower guest bedrooms should do, you can have two or three to a room. There is a storm coming and I don't want them to even go on to the village for lodging in this weather. Wintergreen! I need out of this uniform, it feels glued on by now." Slade was still barking out orders as he entered the house, leaving Robin standing where he was.

 _They weren't going home for Christmas?_

He knew the general had never _promised_ anything, but he had been so sure, taken it for granted that he would get to see his family who he hadn't seen since the summer. His shoulders slumped as he slowly turned around and followed his husband into the house. The servants were buzzing around him, busy by their master's return, none of them as much as glancing at Robin, paying him no mind. Not even Johnson was there to take his coat. The butler might have requested his help with the sudden invasion of houseguests, Robin figured so he shrugged the coat off and hung it himself. The boy imagined the kitchen exploding in a panicked frenzy below his feet at this moment, as Mrs. Woods would be trying to figure out how to feed everybody with nothing prepared. The servants wouldn't be going to bed until late, he was sure. He was lucky. He shouldn't complain.

He climbed the stairs and had to stop for a moment to cough as he reached the next floor. He was feeling a bit woozy and warm. He was definitely coming down with something. As he was about to enter their private quarters Wintergreen came out.

"Ah, there you are, Sir. Master Wilson wants a word."

 _Bet he wants more than a word…_ Robin thought dryly to himself as he nodded and entered their rooms. Slade was in the bedroom, standing by the bed and holding a piece of paper. Robin froze. The letter! The letter to Red!

"I think I've found the reason you wanted to go to Wayne manor for Christmas," Slade told him coldly, crumpling the letter in his hand.

"That's private!" Robin snapped, but the look in the man's eye silenced him and sent a shiver of fear up his spine.

"I thought you were working on a letter to me, and I thought I'd take a look. Imagine my surprise," the man drawled, "to find my husband pining, still, after that wretch of a lad. And has for some time according to this," the man pointed to the open journal on the bed.

"You promised you wouldn't read it!" Robin again objected.

"It was open and that entry was enough-"

"But-"

"NOT ANOTHER WORD!" Slade suddenly roared. "If you think you'll ever see that redhead again, you're sorely mistaken! And you can forget about visiting your family until he's taken care off. That will be easy enough, though, don't you fear. I'll have him drafted and sent to India. I'll personally make sure he'll be in the front of every skirmish-"

"No! You can't do that! Please!" Robin cried out. "I'll never write to him again, I promise! I-" The strike hitting his cheek almost sent him to the floor. He staggered not to fall, his eyes filling with tears from the pain and fear for Red.

"I didn't say you could talk," the man growled. "It will be as I say."

Robin spun around and ran out of the room, out in the hallway, down the stairs and out the door. The snow and cold wind hit him hard but he didn't even consider turning back for his coat. There were other things his almost hysterical mind didn't consider either, unfortunately, like going to the stables. Instead his head was filled with one thing, and one thing only; he needed to get home and warn Red. To do this, Robin figured, he had to take the coach from the town, and the closest way there was across the lake. The stables were all the way on the other side of the manor and that, according to his distressed reasoning, wasn't the right direction. So he ran, out into the cold night.

Soon, too soon, his steps slowed. There was too much snow to wade through, and he could barely see from the heavy snowfall. He had found the plowed way to the lake, however, and soon enough there was ice below the newly fallen snow, making him slip. Robin closed his eyes against the storm as he walked, pulling his indoor coat around him for warmth. He just had to keep walking straight. No problem.

The lake seemed very wide, though. He had almost given up when he saw a small tree and hurried towards it. He had reached the other side. Just as he passed it he thought it strange that it was just standing there, alone. Then he saw another one. They weren't trees, they were branches. Branches to warn people away from the area where the ice had been taken up. The water had frozen over again, but only a very thin layer, now covered by the snow. Just as Robin realized this he fell through.

He had no idea that cold water could hurt that much. He was completely submerged and panicked as his head touched the ice above him. Luckily it was thin enough for him to break, but as he broke the surface, gasping, he managed to breathe in some water.

"Help!" he coughed, trying to find the thicker edge in the dark. "HELP!" His boots were filling with water and trying to drag him down, but he couldn't kick them off, they were like glued to his feet. "HEEEELP!" His voice seemed so small, snatched away by the wind immediately. Then his hand found something to grab; the tree branch. He pulled, trying to get his chest onto the ice, but his frozen fingers slipped and he sank down again.

No. No, he wouldn't give up. He had to do this. Robin tried again using all the strength he had developed by climbing everything and anything over the years, and slowly, slowly, he got himself out of the water. He rolled away and then did the hardest thing he had ever done in his life; he stood up. His body was screaming at him, his heart beating so hard it was painful as it tried to battle the cold. He'd never make it to the village, he realized. He needed to go back. It just seemed so impossibly far. But he had to. He had to because Slade would still go through with his plans even if Robin died, the boy was sure of it. Maybe the man would take out his anger at Red in an even more horrifying way.

He found the main road across the ice and berated himself for veering off onto the smaller one which led to the hole, but it was easy enough in the dark. Step by step he headed towards the faint lights of Wilson Court. It got harder and harder to move. He kept slipping on the ice and once he fell down it took forever to get up again. The thought of Red's laughing eyes kept him going for a bit longer, but next time he fell he couldn't get back on his feet. He started crawling. Then he decided to rest. It would only be for a moment, he told himself. It was strange, because he started to feel warm again. He smiled as he closed his eyes and fell asleep in the snow.

 _To be continued…_

* * *

A/N: In Swedish we have a special word for a (often man-made) large hole in the ice: vak. I couldn't find anything like that in English and that made this chapter harder to write. ;) CU in a couple of days, then!


	7. Part 7

**A/N** _ In the beginning of the 19th century Christmas was hardly celebrated in England, but by the middle of the century it was going strong. As Queen Victoria married Prince Albert in 1840 he brought some German traditions over, like the Christmas tree, and things exploded… ;) So, even though the Queen doesn't exist in THIS world (rather gay king, remember?) and Jane Austen died in 1817, the Christmas in this story will be celebrated more like it was in the middle and end of the century… (actually, quite a few things are from around this time period in this story) I hope you're not TERRIBLY upset about the historical inaccuracies? You don't care at all and just want to keep reading after that cliffhanger in the last chapter? Alright then… ;)

 **The General's New Bride**

 **Part 7**

Robin was faintly aware of voices around him. Distant voices.

"Thomas and Fred found him on their way back from town," a slightly shrill voice said.

"Send for the doctor immediately!" someone else ordered.

"Hot water bottles! Blankets! A warm bath!"

"You idiot, what did you do?!" That voice was Slade's, and Robin felt himself being lifted up and carried away somewhere. The anger, he could hear, was thinly veiled worry, which made him smile a little before drifting off again.

He was in pain. Burning, horrible pain, and he couldn't breathe. He was going to die. He couldn't! He mustn't!

"Slade…?" his parched mouth whispered. Slade could help, he was sure of it. Something in the back of his mind told him that he should be very angry with the man, but he couldn't remember why.

"I'm right here, Robin. You have a fever-" The man's voice grew faint and disappeared completely as the nightmares started.

Death. Suffering. Blood. It was always the same, but some details shifted. Red was dead. Slade was dead. He was dead. All of them. Pain, pain, pain! His chest tied with glowing hot chains. Then he was suddenly back under the ice. The sensations shocked Robin enough for him to regain consciousness for a moment, just enough to hear more of those disembodied voices.

"More ice! We need to lower his temperature or we're going to lose him within hours!" Robin didn't know that voice. At least he didn't think so. Maybe he'd heard it at a party. Why was it so hard to focus?

"You might want to send for his father, Sir," another voice mumbled. "Just in case."

"It will take him days to get here. Even if I send a man on my fastest horse and tell him to ride it to death Bruce won't be here for almost a week."

Robin was roused further by the voices.

"F-fa—ther…" he mumbled.

"Even if he makes it through this crisis, he still has a dangerous time ahead. Having loved ones near can make all the difference," the somewhat familiar voice insisted. Robin now thought he must be the village physician.

"R… Red…" he sighed and fell back asleep.

He kept drifting in and out of consciousness. Whenever he was more or less awake someone seemed to try to force him to drink. Sometimes Robin gulped it down and sometimes he couldn't swallow a single drop. His chest hurt and he couldn't breathe properly. He was scared. Whenever he felt like that, however, he squeezed his fingers together, and more often than not they closed around the fingers of a much larger hand. Sometimes, like now, his hand was lifted, and something soft touched the back of it. A puff of air against the skin. Lips?

"…Slade?" Robin mumbled.

"I'm right here." The voice was steady. Firm. Something to trust and take strength from. There were so many things Robin wanted the man to understand, but he didn't have the strength to explain. Instead he made a decision.

"Read… my journal…"

"No. I already betrayed that trust once."

Robin was surprised, in a way, that the man hadn't read it all already, and at the self loathing he heard in his voice.

"All of it… P…Please…" he insisted. "Can't… talk… please… have to-" fighting to force the words out took its toll and Robin started coughing. Wet, deep coughs which make him wince with pain and lose his breath.

"Fine, fine, I will. There… take it easy. Here, drink a little bit," his husband offered. Robin was too tired, though, and turned his head away, falling back into the darkness as he did.

His dreams started to grow more peaceful. He never knew how much time had passed when he woke up, or at all since his accident. His fever was still high and he either shivered or boiled, but he usually could stay awake for a little longer now. He thought he was dreaming, however, when he heard a familiar voice close by.

"Son?"

Robin opened his eyes slightly.

"Fa-father?"

"Oh, Robin… you gave us such a scare," his father sighed and sank down on the side of his bed. The boy only then truly understood that he had had to have been very close to death to have rattled his normally stoic father like that. The next thing he saw gave him quite a scare, though.

"Red! No!" Robin tried to fight the weight of the covers to sit up and warn the young man, but he was so weak it was useless. "No, please! Go! He… he's going to kill you!" As so often his words were then drowned by a coughing attack. He still wasn't quite clear on the details, but he knew the stable boy was in great danger for being close to him.

"Red was invited here, he's safe, don't worry," Bruce told him, and the stable boy came up to him and squeezed his hand.

"It's true, he actually ordered me to come," he smiled. "Since when have you taken up winter bathing?"

Robin was stunned, and just recovering from the coughing fit, but couldn't help but chuckle from that, which of course set off the fit again.

"Would you kindly try not to kill my husband when he's finally showing signs of improvement?" Slade's voice asked from the door.

To show his gratitude, wordlessly if it could be done, Robin reached out for the man with his free hand, which was soon taken. Red and Slade were on either side of the bed, and only now the boy realized that he wasn't in his bedroom, instead he was in a smaller room, on a narrower bed.

"Where… where am I?" he asked, his voice trembling. Had Slade cast him out of their room? Denounced him? No, he had still called him his husband, hadn't he?

"You are in a guest bedroom," Slade told him and Robin's heart sank. "It was easier to care for you if you were on a smaller bed, especially when we had to pack you in ice."

"Oh," the boy mumbled, his hope rising slightly. "So… you're not mad at me?"

"I'm furious," the man admitted but then smirked. "But too damn happy that you are alive to notice."

The general's words made Robin's heard beat a little faster, but then he realized that he was holding the hands of two men, two men he had strong but different feelings for. Two men he'd really like to-

"Robin, son, how are you feeling? Did your fever rise?" Bruce's worried voice asked. "Look, his face turned all red!"

"I'm… a bit tired," the young man half-fibbed.

"We should leave to let you rest," Slade said.

"No! No, just… stay? I… I don't understand…? Why is Red here? How? Have I been sick for that long?"

"For almost five days now," Slade answered.

"Then… how did you get here so fast?" Robin turned his head towards his father and asked. It was Red who answered, however.

"The general had a messenger sent to us and he was followed by six men with two extra horses each. They stopped along the road so we could switch to fresh horses all along the route! We didn't even stop to eat! I don't think anyone will ever travel so fast ever again," he added, sounding slightly in awe of their achievement.

Robin couldn't help but grin at him, but as Red grinned back there was a grunt from Slade and the two youngsters were reminded that getting _too_ close might still be dangerous. Robin gave a short chuckle and rolled his eyes at the man's possessiveness, but he was, in a way, glad for it; it was yet another sign that the man wasn't done with him. That was good, because Robin wasn't done with _him_. Again, it was really difficult to sort through his exact feelings, however.

"Slade, may I speak with you? Privately?" Robin pleaded.

"Of course."

"Then get some rest. We came close to losing you," his father said softly.

"I will," the young man promised, and then smiled encouragingly at Red who stood up. When their hands parted Robin felt a stab in his heart, a needle of panic that he wouldn't see the redhead again. Yet he let his hand fall onto the covers, scared that he would upset his husband if he reached out for his friend.

Once they were alone Robin tried to gather his thoughts and feelings and put them into words. His fever was still quite high, he suspected, which didn't make things easier.

"Why did you let him come here?" he asked. He didn't have to specify who he meant, of course.

Slade squeezed his hand slightly before letting it go. He then began walking around the room, almost pacing.

"I read your journal."

"After I told you to?"

"So you remember that? Good. I was afraid you would have forgotten, as you were so sick. Yes, afterwards. You also said his name when you were first found and many times since then, in your sleep. You called out for him, your father… and me too. If no one had found you-!" Slade's voice filled with a mix of anger and frustration at the end, but then he seemed to cut himself off and Robin could hear him take a deep breath. "The stable-boy is important to you."

"He is," Robin admitted. "Are you… going to let… me choose?"

"No." The answer was immediate and firm. "You're mine. Like it or not."

"I… do."

"Do what?" the man seemed puzzled.

"Like it." Robin blushed. "I like being yours."

To Robin's surprise the general only snorted derisively.

"It's true!" the young man insisted.

"I'm your father's age, forcing you into a life you don't want. Of course you pine for the brat."

"I'm not saying you're _perfect_ ," Robin snorted and then gave the man a teasing smirk.

"You love him." The comment was dry, to the point. Still, Robin thought he could hear some bitterness underneath it.

"I do… at least I think so." Robin wasn't sure. "What I feel for you, though… what I felt before you got home… It's different, in a way, but… and then you said those things." It was like he suddenly remembered what Slade had actually threatened to do, and anger welled up inside him. "You said you'd have him killed!"

The man ran a hand over his face and as he stood close to the light Robin could now see how tired he looked. Exhausted. Like he hadn't slept for days. Then the man straightened up and nodded. "I did," he admitted. "And, at the time, I probably meant it. I had ridden for one and a half days straight to get home to you in time, only to find… I have never felt so betrayed, Robin." The man sighed. "I have acted like a spoiled, attention seeking child since I first laid eyes on you. I don't know what came over me, I-" It seemed the man realized that he was on the verge of whining as he stopped himself once more. "I've handled things poorly."

Robin nodded. "You didn't even let me say goodbye to him properly, in private. We never got to… end it. May I say goodbye this time?"

"Yes. But they are staying until after New Years. The rest of your family will come too, I will tell Bruce to send for them. It's safe to do so now, finally."

"What date is it?"

"The seventeenth of December."

"They will never make it on time," Robin sighed.

"Oh, they will," the man promised. "I've had sleighs prepared just like I had with the horses. They will arrive just in time."

"The day is not important, but I can't wait to see them," Robin smiled.

"Good. You'll still need to focus on getting better, after all," the man told him firmly.

"Yes, Sir," Robin smiled tiredly.

Slade bent down and kissed his sweaty forehead, his lips feeling almost cool against Robin's skin. "Sleep well, dear," the man all but ordered him and left the room, giving him a smile as he did so.

* * *

Two days later Robin was allowed out of bed and Slade carried him downstairs, wrapped in a blanket, to sit in a large stuffed chair by the windows and look out over the glittering winter landscape. He was given hot broth to sip and a piece of freshly baked bread with a thick slice of cheese. The bread was still warm so the cheese had melted a little. It tasted heavenly to the young convalescent.

"I'm glad to see your appetite is coming back," Slade, who had sat down in the chair next to him, said.

"I feel like I could eat the whole Christmas dinner on my own," the boy admitted and put the now empty mug down on a side table. "And it's good to be out of bed. Everyone's been really busy I can see," he added and looked around. From here he could see all the way out into the entrance hall as the huge double doors were open. Red was out there, having been roped in to help putting up wreaths and ivy ribbons around the house. He had, Robin had figured out, quite an unsure status in the house. He lived in one of the large guest bedrooms on their own floor and had been given clothes which once belonged to Slade's sons, but he was still a servant after all. Red had taken it all in stride, however, and offered to help the indoor staff when it wasn't appropriate that he spent time with Robin, whom Slade was guarding like a hawk, although he tried not to be obvious about it.

The young lord had been too tired to really talk it out with either of them, though. He wanted to have a nice, peaceful Christmas and deal with what was to come later.

The general seemed to be following Robin's line of vision.

"He cleans up quite nicely, your stable boy," the man said.

Robin jumped a bit as he wasn't aware that he had been looking at the other young man for as long as he had.

"It was kind of you to lend him the clothes," he nodded. "Thank you."

"I couldn't have him in the house in those rags," Slade snorted.

"You think he looks good, though?" Robin smiled at his husband.

"You have taste after all," the man smirked back.

"Is it my turn to be jealous?" the boy wanted to know.

"My heart isn't quite as fickle as others," the man muttered.

"My heart isn't fickle either, which is to your disadvantage here," Robin snorted, but then reached out for the man's hand in a calming gesture. "You've read my journal. You know that my heart is torn… but it _is_ torn, Slade. I do care for you very much and him…?" he let his eyes find the redhead once more. "He is a teasing thought my mind would like to play with sometimes. I don't think we truly would have been able to be together. I was quite naïve back then."

"Yes… all the way back then… about seven months or so ago…" the general said dryly, but then chuckled and lifted Robin's hand to his lips. "Thinking about what might have been can drive us mad, my dear. After my wife passed I often wondered if she would have survived if I had noticed something wrong earlier. If we had gone to London directly instead of sending for the local physician… if she had been stronger if she hadn't been with child…"

"She was with child when she died? I'm so sorry, I didn't know!" Robin squeezed the man's hand hard. He didn't know much about Slade's earlier life, apart from his wife dying from disease of the lungs and slowly wasted away.

"A girl, I was told. They took the babe out, hoping it would save her life, but it didn't work."

Robin squeezed the man's hand harder. "I'm sorry."

"It happened. Nothing to do about it… but it took me years to realize that," the man sighed.

"I'll try to be quicker about it," Robin quipped to try to lighten the mood. His husband chuckled.

"That's my good little wife."

"If you stop calling me that. Red would _never_ call me that."

"Look at him and tell me honestly that he wouldn't," Slade snorted. Robin did and then sighed.

"He would. But only to tease me."

"And what do you think I'm doing?" the general asked innocently.

"Torturing me?" Robin asked just as innocently back.

"If you were well enough, I'd spank you for that."

"If I was well enough I'd let you do other things as well," Robin leered back.

"My, my, your appetite certainly _is_ back," Slade chuckled. "I think you'd better move back to our bed, then."

Robin chuckled and then shrugged. "I'd love to; I've been meaning to ask. But I'm not sure I'm well enough yet to-"

"Of course not, it was merely a joke," Slade interrupted him. "I'll let Miss Harris and Johnson know you'll be moving back, though," he said and stood up.

"Thank you. Can you ask if there are any cookies too?"

"Certainly. Leave none for your brother and sisters," the man teased and Robin made a face at him in reply.

As the man was about to leave, Red entered the room.

"The decorations are up, may I speak to Robin for a while, Sir?" he asked the general.

The man's answer hung in the air for a moment. "Of course," he said, managing to make it sound uninviting. "Please take a seat. I will be right back." Slade gestured to a third chair, not as close as the one he had just left. It was a clear order not to come closer than that. Robin rolled his eyes yet again. He seemed to be doing that a lot lately.

"Thank you, Sir," Red just answered humbly and sank down into it.

"My husband doesn't trust me," Robin complained.

"I don't trust the _thief_ ," Slade snorted and then left.

"Thief?" Red asked the young lord in a whisper.

"It's from before the wedding. He claimed you were trying to steal me away," Robin smiled.

"Well, he wasn't wrong," the redhead grinned back.

They looked at each other in silence for a moment, until Robin blushed and lowered his eyes. It was… awkward. He hated that. Red had been his best friend before all this had happened, it wasn't supposed to be awkward with your best friend!

"I'm so glad you're feeling better," Red told him.

"Thank you. It was scary there for a while… not that I remember much."

"You still need to take it easy, doctor's orders!" Red half teased, half reminded him.

"Trust me, I don't have the energy for anything else," the boy chuckled.

"You look good together."

The change of subject threw Robin for a loop. "I… I... thank you…?"

"He treats you well?" it was somewhat more of a statement than a question.

"Yes. Normally. Unless he wants to tear my friends to shreds." Robin made and attempt to grin, which somehow failed half way.

"So… friends then?"

"We can't be anything else, Red, you know that!"

"Would you have wanted us to? I mean, if it was possible?"

"If Slade wasn't in the picture? Yes. But he is, and I… I care for him, Red. You're both important to me, it's just… confusing. You can't love two people, can you?" he asked. That particular question had weighed on his mind for a very long time now.

"A parent can love two or more children, so I don't see why not?" the redhead shrugged.

"Because it's… it's… just wrong! Immoral!" Robin threw out his hands in frustration, and then coughed. The fit was soon over, but he pulled the blanket closer around himself. "I don't know. It's not like I ever will, either. I'm glad Slade is my husband and I'm grieving losing you. It's like my heart is singing and breaking at the same time."

"You've grown quite poetic…" Red said dryly but then smiled at him, showing he was only joking.

"Well, it turns out Slade was wrong. His wife _does_ have time to read," Robin snickered.

"Still don't think Raven would have approved," Red chuckled.

"Oh, I think she would. He's really intelligent and he knows a lot of things. She has a lot of book knowledge, but he can actually _show_ her… remember me writing about sailing on that ship? And Rome! And Paris!" Robin sighed happily at his memories. "It's amazing, Red."

"I can imagine," the stable boy smiled back at him. There was no hint of sadness or sarcasm in his voice, but Robin then realized that the most amazing thing Red might ever see was the inside of a bigger stable.

"Anyway…" The young lord coughed "I'm sure she would have enjoyed it."

"Enjoyed what?" Slade asked from the door. He was followed by servants carrying hot chocolate and cookies.

"We were just talking about Raven," Robin answered.

"And that she might like being married to you, Sir," Red filled in, and stood up. "I should go, then."

"No, please stay?" Robin said. "Slade? Please?"

"Stop using those eyes on me, you know they don't work," the general muttered, and then sighed. "Fine, have some hot chocolate with us."

"I'm very impressed with your ability to withstand _the look_ , Sir. I've never been able to," Red grinned, but plopped down in his seat again.

"Don't be cheeky or I'll house you in the pig sty," the man growled.

"Sorry, Sir," Red quickly apologized.

"He can't help himself, Slade," Robin defended his friend with a smile. "Play nice with him."

"Yes, dear," Slade smirked back. "So, Raven _might_ enjoy being married to me? Is that a compliment or an insult?"

"She's my sister, of course it' a compliment," Robin snorted. He had already dug into the cookies and was warming his hands on the cup of hot coco he had been served.

"Of course. My apologies," Slade chuckled. "And my thanks, of course."

"I accept," Robin nodded gracefully which Red couldn't help but chuckle at.

"Where's father?"

"Talking to Mr. Chapman about how to make Wayne Manor more profitable," Slade answered. Robin nodded. The land steward could probably give the lord some advice about more modern land and tenant management.

"You'll think Wayne Manor is small when you return," Red told him. "After being swept away by all this." He made a vague hand gesture to the room in general.

"I'm not being swept anywhere," Robin snorted.

"Although I try my hardest," Slade chuckled.

Robin pondered that for a moment. The honeymoon had changed a lot between them. Part of it was that they were forced to live close together, so they had had to sort out their issues, but Robin admitted that he had more than a bit awed by their destinations.

"Was that why you took me to Rome and Pompeii?" he asked bluntly. "To 'sweep me away'?"

"I knew, or suspected, it would interest you, of course," the man admitted. "But you know it interests me as well. Since I was a boy myself, as you have seen from my collections. You can't blame me for wanting you to have a good time, can you?"

"No… guess I can't," Robin shrugged.

"Neither can I," Red sighed. "Wish I could, though," he sighed.

"Watch it, boy," Slade growled.

"I'm sorry, Sir. I can see Robin is happy. Trust me, if I had suspected otherwise you would pay!" the young man said in a low voice. "But he's happy, and I have nothing to offer him. Not that he would ever break his vows. But I love him. I love you, Robin," Red turned to the black haired boy, his eyes shiny with tears.

"I love you too, but-" Robin started.

"I know, I know," Red sighed. "I think it's better if I would leave your father's service. Maybe join the military after all. Disappear. Find my own happiness."

"Splendid idea," Slade muttered.

"No!" Robin stood up, swaying at the sudden move. "Don't you dare, Red! And don't you dare encourage him, Slade! You can both go to hell!" he finished and stomped off, though he really was in no condition to.

"I don't understand… did he tell me to join the military or not?" Red asked dryly.

The young lord had stopped in the library and was sitting in front of the fire there when his husband found him.

"You shouldn't be walking around," Slade told him. The man had brought the blanket Robin had left behind and now wrapped it around the boy's shoulders.

"I've just decided to hate both of you. That's much easier," the young man muttered sullenly. It was clear by the sarcasm in his tone that he didn't mean a word he was saying, but he was clearly still upset.

"You need to-"

"Don't you dare!" Robin interrupted his husband. "I've had enough of you telling me what I 'need' to do!"

"Is that so?" Slade raised an eyebrow. It was hard, even for Robin, to tell what he was feeling.

"Yes," he said decisively. "It is. I'm your husband, Slade, and I would never break our vows, whether you believe it or not. But it's not my fault that my heart is torn, and it's not Red's either!"

"You can't be with him, but you forbid him from leaving… is that fair?" Slade asked.

"I- I-" Robin took a deep breath. "I know I have to let him go, but not to war! Not into the military! He loves horses and he's good at his job. If he wants to leave, then find him a position somewhere and don't tell me where." Robin's words were hurried as they hurt as they tore from his lips. Better get it over with quickly. It was over anyway.

"As you wish. I'll find him a position after New Years." Slade sounded pleased with the request. "Until then I would like some peace in the house… you need it to recuperate, after all."

"He'll be safe? And have good prospects?"

"I'll send him off with a personal recommendation. He'll be well received. The rest will be up to him, though."

"He'll do well!" Robin's smile was sad, but proud.

"Now, would you like to tell Red that you've just decided what _he_ 'needs' to do?" Slade smirked.

"You're being unfair."

"Perhaps a little bit," the man conceded. "But you have to admit that you are trying to control him."

"I'm trying to stop him from making a stupid decision!" Robin defended himself. When he just got a knowing smile as a reply from the man he muttered "Bastard!" under his breath. Then he gasped as the general swooped down and lifted him up, blanket and all.

"I think a certain someone is grumpy and needs a nap," the man declared and started to carry him upstairs. Robin angrily objected at first, but at the end of the road he succumbed to chuckling at the absurd situation instead. As Slade carefully laid him down on their bed the man bent down and kissed him. It was their first real kiss since the general came home and the boy didn't want it to end. Despite his best efforts it eventually did, however, but Robin didn't let go of the man and forced him to sit down next to him.

"I haven't asked… the mission… how did it go?" he wanted to know.

"We did our job," the general answered.

"Was it bad?"

"They are starving, desperate. It is not an honorary thing to do, to beat down men with pitchforks who only wants to feed their children. They need to stay in their place, though, or our society will fall."

"I bet they were happy to hear that," Robin muttered dryly.

"No, and I understand them. The gaps have grown too big in some areas. Something has to be done. As long as your tenants can make do they accept their station, but otherwise…"

"Are there many belonging to Wilson Court who suffers?" Robin asked.

"There are always some, specifically widows, orphans and the elderly," the man admitted.

"We used to take baskets to the poor house and such at Christmas," Robin said. "Can we do that here too?"

"The house always provides something, but yes. Making a bigger gesture in this time of uncertainty might be a good idea," Slade hummed.

Robin rolled his eyes. "Oh, yes, it's a good political move," he drawled.

"Besides, it might be a way to show your influence as my wi- _husband_ ," Slade grinned as he saw the warning glare in Robin's eyes and quickly changed the title.

"Look at that, you're trainable," the boy snickered.

"I fear you figured that out long ago," the man sighed. "Officially you will have to live with being the wife, though, unless the law and church changes their minds… and they rarely do."

"Yes, yes, I know," Robin sighed. "I don't mind, not really. You get used to it, I guess."

"Well, isn't that heartwarming?" the man snorted and then grinned. "How were you when I was away, then? Your tutors tell me you were a diligent student?"

"I was… lonely," Robin sighed. He then went on to tell Slade all the things he hadn't mentioned in his letters. The isolation, the attempts he had made to socialize with the villagers and how he had just given up in the end.

"You were feeling sick even then?" Slade asked as Robin happened to mention the coughing. "Why didn't you tell anyone?"

"It was nothing and everyone was busy," the boy shrugged. "It would probably just have been a cold if I hadn't gone for that swim."

"No one noticed?" The man's voice was tense, hard. "Not even Johnson?"

"He's just my valet. He helps me dress and undress and tends to my things, that's all," Robin shrugged. "I only have you, Slade," he added, his voice smaller than he wanted it to be.

"This is my fault," his husband growled. "I should have done a better job of introducing you into society. We'll change that, Robin. By next year you'll have a circle of friends of your own."

"Who are only my friends because protocol, or you, states they should be," Robin muttered. Then he sighed. "I'm sorry. Thank you. I'd appreciate that."

"You grew up with your sisters and brothers as friends, it's only natural that you'd feel lonely without company and maybe a bit awkward trying to reach out," the man told him.

"The villagers were the one's feeling the most awkward, I bet," Robin muttered. "I don't know what I could have done differently."

"You should have brought out the ale, and lots of it. And heated wine as well. Just a suggestion," the general grinned.

"I'll remember to get people as drunk as possible in the future…" Robin chuckled softly.

"That's the spirit, dear," the man smiled and then kissed him again. "Now get some rest."

"Yes, Sir," Robin promised, already feeling tired enough to fall asleep. "Have Johnson wake me in an hour, though, I'm done with sleeping the day away."

"As you command," his husband smiled and then bid him farewell.

 _To be continued..._

* * *

 ** _A/N:_** People were SO angry with Slade after the last chapter, and rightfully so, of course… better now? Slightly at least? The last chapter will be out on New Year's Eve and I'm happy to announce that I finished it last night. Yay!


	8. Part 8

A/N: Here we are… last chapter of the story and of the year… Hopefully 2016 will mean a lot of writing for me, in different projects! We'll see! J

* * *

 **The General's New Bride**

 **Part 8**

It didn't take long for Robin to fall asleep at all, and when his valet came to wake him he would have liked to continue snoozing, but stuck to his own rules, got up, dressed for the evening and shuffled downstairs.

"Hello, son, what are you doing out of bed?" his father greeted him.

"I've decided that I'm well enough to rejoin the living," Robin smiled and got a careful hug from his father.

"I'm glad. As long as it's not too taxing."

"Where are Slade and Red?" Robin asked.

"I believe they are talking with the stable master. I heard the general will be arranging for a new place for him? I guess he wanted to find out what he actually knows."

"Oh. Yes, of course." The young lord sighed.

"It's for the best, Robin," Bruce told him firmly.

"I know. It just doesn't feel like it."

"You don't want to lose all this, do you?"

Robin snorted. "Well, 'all this' doesn't mean anything to me!" he snapped. "But I don't want to lose my husband!"

Bruce blinked, obviously surprised that Robin felt that way. "Oh… well, good. Then forget about your young friend, hard as it might be."

"I'll never be able to do that," the boy whispered, and as he said so he knew it was the truth. The terrible, terrible truth. "I'll just have to learn to live with half a heart."

He glanced up at his father, but Bruce was looking past him, towards the doorway. Robin gasped and spun around and yes, both Slade and Red were standing there. He could see tears in the green eyes, but the single grey-blue was simply reserved, studying him carefully.

"Robin!" Neither of the men could or would stop the young redhead from rushing forwards and engulfing the other boy in his arms. Robin hugged back as hard as he could. He squeezed his eyes shut so he wouldn't see the disapproval he was sure to find in both the adult's gazes. Eventually the embrace had to end, however.

"I'll always remember you too," Red whispered and chastely kissed his forehead. "The stable master approved of me, they are going to recommend me for a position as groom, so I'll be fine. You won't have to worry about me, alright?"

"Alright," Robin mumbled. He now dared to look in his father's direction, but Bruce was in his turn glancing worriedly at the general. Robin swallowed and, ready for the fury, turned his eyes in Slade's direction. He was surprised to see the man looking only slightly tense and troubled, however. Not at all ready to rip the redhead apart, even though the young man's hands hadn't left Robin's waist.

"There's something I need to do," Red said softly. "For both of us, alright?"

"Alright?" Robin answered hesitantly.

The young man then took his arm and boldly walked him up to the general. Only as they stopped in front of the man did Robin realize what the stable boy was doing.

"Red, don't- You don't have to-"

"Yes, I do. Sir," the young man turned towards the general. "I would like to leave Robin in your care and remind you that I have access to pitch forks if you should mistreat him."

The corners of the man's mouth twitched in amusement, but he held up a hand, refusing to take Robin's arm which Red was offering him.

"Thank you, young man. I've learned that Robin doesn't take lightly to be treated as an object, however. I would be pleased to offer him my hand instead." Slade held out his hand, palm up, for Robin to take. The young man kissed Red's cheek and then took it with a soft smile.

"You are both insane," he half sighed, half chuckled.

After that, however, even though it still hurt to think about parting from Red, the tension between the three of them eased somewhat. The next evening they had the general close to tears from laughing, telling him about all the things they had gotten up to as kids. They were sitting in front of the fire, enjoying a simple evening meal of cheese, bread and wine and Bruce was getting grayer in the face by the minute.

"So that is how my prize bull got out! I should give you a belated spanking," he muttered at his son.

"Only my husband has that right," Robin snickered, actually taking advantage of the unfair laws he normally hated.

"And as you aren't my employer anymore, Sir…" Red said, pointed out that he was potentially safe as well.

"Alright, alright. You two were behind the blue sheep as well, weren't you?"

"Weeeeell…" Robin said, glancing at his friend. "It all started when we decided to mix blueberry with honey to attract bears-"

"There haven't been any bears in Britain since 1000 AD!" Bruce cut in.

"Yes, but we thought we saw one and that it might have escaped from a circus," Robin defended himself.

"Turned out to be a neighbor's new shaggy pony," Red shrugged. "But we didn't find that out until the next day."

"When it was a bit too late," Robin added.

"Seems you got up to a lot of things climbing out that window of yours," Slade chuckled.

"Doing what?!" Bruce groaned.

"That reminds me, you haven't seen the drawings I made from Rome and Pompeii," Robin said to Red. "There are even photographs that we bought. We had one taken of us at the ruins but it's a bit blurry. It's all in my journal, do you want to come up and see?"

"Sure!" Red answered excitedly.

"And since that journal is in our bedroom I'll be bidding you goodnight, Bruce," Slade said.

"Slade…" Robin said, looking like a kicked puppy.

"It's not that I don't trust you, but it is late. And _I_ didn't take a nap today," the man told them.

"Very well. Good night," Bruce said and stood up. "No more climbing out of windows, Robin."

"No, Sir," the young man grinned.

When the boys reached the bedroom, with Slade trailing behind them, Robin felt flushed and tired but definitely on the mend. He found the journal and sat on the bed, letting it fall open in his lap so he could spread out the drawings and photos tucked in between its pages.

"Come sit here so you can see," he told Red and patted the bed next to him. The stable boy joined him and soon they were both transfixed by the images and the stories behind them.

Slade watched them with a slightly amused expression. He had sent Wintergreen away and had undressed down to his shirt, but of course he could go no further with a guest in the room. He couldn't send Red away when Robin was enjoying himself so much, though. And as the boy was gushing over his husband as he told his friend about their travels there wasn't any real harm in it all, Slade decided. Instead he grabbed a book he was reading, about Greek myths, and joined the boys on the bed. He lit his reading lamp and prepared to enjoy the stories for a while before kicking the redheaded brat out the door.

"What book is that?" Robin asked him after a while. "I don't think I've seen it before?"

"It recently arrived," Slade answered. "It is about the old Greek gods."

"Oh, can you read some to us?" the boy asked. Slade looked up to see two pairs of eyes curiously watching him, one pair blue, one pair green. The man had a soft spot for lecturing and passing on his knowledge, so he agreed to read about Hades and Persephone. After that the boys eagerly asked for more. As he was reading the third story he heard a soft snore from the other side of the bed. As he looked over he discovered the young men sleeping soundly, their heads leaning against each other.

Robin woke up with a smile on his lips. He hummed sleepily and tightened his arm around Slade's waist. Then he felt a puff of air against his neck and an arm around his own middle. His eyes flew open, wide. He met Slade's calm and somewhat amused gaze.

"Wha-what?" Robin gasped and looked over his shoulder. "Red?"

The other young man frowned in his sleep, sighed deeply and then hugged Robin even closer. That made the boy squeak in fear of his friend's life. That woke up Red, who, as he understood the situation, pushed Robin away like he had the plague and shuffled away until he fell on the floor with a frightened squawk.

"I didn't mean to!" Red called from the floor.

"Calm down, both of you. You fell asleep. Nothing indecent happened, I made sure of that," Slade told them.

"You're not going to kill me, Sir?" Red asked, still from the floor.

"No, not this time," the man snorted.

Robin lifted his blanket and blinked. "You tucked us in?"

"I couldn't let you freeze," the man stated.

"Why didn't you just wake me up?" Red asked, now back on his feet, looking a bit sheepish.

"I didn't want to disturb Robin, as I thought he needed his rest. He obviously did, since it's rather late in the morning. I suggest you wash up and change for breakfast.

"I can't believe it! I always wake up at four or five!" Red exclaimed. "That was the best bed in the world. I'd marry anyone just for a bed like that."

"Get out," Slade said, but with a chuckle in his voice.

"Yes, Sir!" The stable boy flashed the man one of his trademark grins and scurried away.

Robin sighed, already longing for that feeling of warmth and love he had waking up, and then he stretched, yawning. He then looked up at Slade, who was still stretched out next to him, with an expectant smile.

"Oh, no, you're not well enough for what you're thinking about," the man warned him.

"Aw… I feel fine!" Robin objected.

"Maybe tonight. As much as it kills me to put it off," the man muttered.

When the night came Robin did get his wish fulfilled, but he had to complain a bit in the middle.

"You're being too gentle, I'm not going to break," he said sternly.

"You might cough up a lung, though," Slade defended himself.

Robin tightened his legs around the man's waist, drawing him in deeper.

"We'll just have to risk it," he said, deadly serious.

Afterwards the young man decided that it was time to bring up an important subject.

"I'd like to work one day. Once I finished my studies."

Slade took his time replying.

"What with?"

"I don't know yet," the boy admitted.

"The gentry aren't supposed to _work_ , Robin. Not outside of managing our affairs, something many lives are depended upon and which takes quite a lot of skill."

"You did. You chose a military career, you never had to do that."

"No, but it's traditional in my family. And you know me, I hate being bored." The man smiled down at him, as Robin was resting on his arm.

"Well, so do I."

"As long as you choose something proper, which won't take you away from me and will gain our estate in some way, I won't say no."

"Maybe I can teach? Some of the village children who show prowess? We could maybe support a few of them through an education?"

"That would be a good idea. You have to finish your own studies first, of course."

"Of course," Robin agreed. "Thank you," he added solemnly.

"I'm having the hardest time saying no to you," the man mockingly complained.

"Speaking of that… Am I a disappointment to you?" the boy asked, his voice quite small.

"What are you talking about?"

"Well… I know what you wanted from me, demanded from me, and… it didn't quite work out that way, did it? I'm not your good little wife, the perfect hostess… I barely make a difference here."

"Never say that. You make all the difference," Slade claimed. "Maybe I wasn't clear on what I wanted, but believe me; it's you."

"It's not like you're not stuck with me" Robin pointed out. "Divorce would cause quite a scandal, after all."

"It would, but I've never considered it. I've considered keeping you in the dungeons a few times, though…" the man deadpanned.

"I'd like to blame you for that, but I can't," Robin muttered and then sighed. "I have to apologize, Slade… for what happened the day before our wedding. I had made a commitment to you but when Red showed up I… I panicked. I wanted to run away from everything. It wasn't even that personal, I just wanted away from the responsibility, from the… sacrifice. I'm sorry. I understand that you wouldn't trust me after that… and my letters to Red. I think I'll be able to let him go now, though. It feels… better."

"But not good?" the man asked.

"I wish my heart had any sense!" Robin complained. "I wish it was whole and was all yours, I really do! Everything would be so much simpler… But it is happy with you, it really is."

"I wish that too, but we can't help what we feel," Slade told him. "Don't feel guilty, it is my fault it is torn, after all. It is my mission to mend it."

Robin smiled at the man. He didn't know what the man could do, how he would succeed, but he was going to give him a chance.

* * *

Robin's siblings and old Alfred arrived on the evening of the twenty third, tired after a long, uninterrupted trip. They had been able to sleep some in the sleigh, however, and the arrival gave them new energy. They had brought the puppies of course. They had grown quite a bit and were very excited, running around and creating havoc. When they first arrived Slade had tried to point out that these were outdoor dogs that belonged in kennels, but he soon gave up and just gave Bruce a glare whenever something ripped or crashed to the floor. It was like the house instantly filled with life, and Robin could feel himself grinning from ear to ear more often than not. Red continued to be 'part of the family' which posed no problem from the Wayne-children as they, especially the girls, had gotten close to the young man when they taught him to read and write.

Because of Robin's illness they had decided to cancel the lavish Christmas feast Slade usually hosted and spend Christmas with just the family. Robin loved the idea and beamed at Slade when the man informed them of his decision.

On Christmas Eve Robin, barely, got permission to join them as they set out in a few sleighs packed with food baskets and distributed them, as well as gifts of cloth and shoe leather, to the more needy families under Slade's jurisdiction. Robin was forbidden from going in or coming too close to the poor as many of them were sick and the boy was deemed too feeble by his husband to risk catching anything. The young lord therefore had to stay in the sleigh, swathed in blankets and furs. The rumor of his near death had spread, however, and many came out to, from a respectful distance, thank him and wish him a speedy recovery. The boy decided, then and there, that he would do whatever he could so no Christmas baskets were really needed next year.

Robin woke on Christmas Day finally feeling completely healthy again. He told Slade the good news and the man decreed that he would remain skeptical for a while longer. Robin just snorted at him and called for Johnson to come help him prepare for Christmas breakfast. First Garfield insisted on opening the presents, however, which Alfred had brought from the manor. Robin fetched his presents as well, excitingly wondering if his siblings would like them. They did. Robin also very much appreciated his own gifts, like the horse Red had carved and Garfield had painted for him, the sketching paper and pens he got from Raven and Starfire and the book of Chinese inventions his father had found. As he handed over his gift for Slade he felt a bit ashamed though. It was bought with the man's own money, after all, something Robin found hard to accept. It was a pen, a very nice one the man had seemed to admire in Paris and which Robin had bought under the pretence of getting it for his father. As the boy felt that it was far from enough he bent close to the man's ear.

"You'll get your real present in bed tonight," he whispered, blushing at his boldness in front of his hopefully unsuspecting family.

"Funny, you will as well," the man whispered back to him and grinned.

Robin received a new pair of riding boots with matching gloves of the finest leather from his husband, as well as several books on different subjects.

Red's present didn't come from the trip; it came from Slade's own library. Robin had found two copies of an illustrated book about horsemanship and asked if he could have one. Slade hadn't even asked what for, just told him that everything in the house was his anyway.

"As you can read now," Robin grinned at the redhead as he unwrapped it.

"Thank you… my first book!" Red beamed back. "Wait, now I have to build a bookshelf," he added, making the room laugh.

After breakfast Slade and Robin enjoyed a walk in the winter garden. The snow was covering even the smallest branch, creating a beautiful landscape. Robin took Slade's arm as he admired the view.

"I have to admit," he said in a teasing tone, "that even though nothing, of course, can compare with Wayne manor, we have a pretty little place here,"

"It will have to do," Slade sighed jokingly and held him close. "You're sure you don't want a puppy, though?"

Robin was still laughing when they reentered the house half an hour later.

They all attended mass at the chapel in the evening, Robin sneaking glances at Slade and smirking as the priest almost raged in his attempt to make it a memorable sermon. The man smirked back and seemed to roll his only eye at certain parts, making it very hard for his young husband not to burst out in a very inappropriate fit of laughter. Afterwards a splendid Christmas dinner awaited them.

They all spent the evening around the fire in the large sitting room and Robin never wanted the night to end. On the other hand, he _had_ promised his husband another Christmas gift and was quite excited for that as well. As the fire started to die down he made eye contact with his husband, letting his eyes convey his naughty thoughts.

"It is getting late," Slade immediately stated, standing up. "I'd like to bid you a good night."

Everyone knew a dismissal when they heard one, but as Robin and Slade was about to leave the room the man turned back.

"I forgot your present," he said. "You go on ahead."

Robin did, wondering if the man had misunderstood what his second present would entail and in fact expected a wrapped gift, and was even more confused when Slade caught up to him, seemingly empty handed.

Once in their rooms the general dismissed Johnson and Wintergreen at once, wishing them a good night, and then he turned to Robin. The boy grinned as he could see by the expression on the man's face that he had definitely not misinterpreted his gift, and he met him half way for a kiss. Slade began undressing him, right there in their outer room, but had only gotten as far as removing Robin's shoes, jacket, cravat and almost finished unbuttoning his shirt when there was a knock on the door.

"One moment," Slade told him and went to open it. Robin expected it to be Wintergreen who had forgotten something and was stunned when he saw an insecure looking Red in the door as well.

"Look at that," Slade purred. "Your Christmas present has arrived."

Robin gaped. Then he understood what Slade meant.

"You mean that he can stay?" he asked.

The man chuckled. "That's not quite part of the present."

"Then… I don't understand?"

"I'm giving you him. For one night at least."

Robin backed away, the shock plain on his face. "No! No, I would never! How can you even think..? I thought you trusted me, Slade, is this some kind of test?!" The alarm gave way to anger. "How dare you?!"

Red looked equally taken aback. He had obviously not been let in on the plan.

"Sir, I wouldn't either. Not anymore. I thought… I thought we understood each other?"

Slade sighed and pinched the bride of his nose. "This is obviously not going the way I planned it. Both of you, into the bedroom, right now."

"No, I-"

"Right _now_ , Robin."

Robin decided that it would be better to yell at his husband with another wall between them and the hallway, where nosey servants might be passing by, so he huffed and obeyed the man. Red looked like he feared for his life as he did the same. Slade entered the room last, closed the door firmly and stood in front of it like a guard dog.

"Now listen to me," he said firmly. "This is not a test, for either of you. This is a gift, but it's for all of us. Only, of course, if Mr. Ecks is willing to give it, but I assumed he would be."

"I will not break my vow!" Robin snapped back, unwilling to take in what the man had just said, much less considering it. Red, on the other hand, now remained quiet.

"You won't be if you have my permission," the general told his young husband.

"Well, I won't anyway!" Robin snorted and crossed his arms. Discussion over.

"I've watched you for the last couple of days. Even when sick you seemed to come to life in a way I haven't experienced since Rome. I _missed_ that Robin. I missed those smiles." The general's voice was deep and passionate, even Robin couldn't doubt the sincerity of it.

"Well, it will just take me some time to get used to things here," the young lord decided.

"Perhaps, but you haven't succeeded thus far," the man told him. "I think you need this, Robin. I want you to be happy, and you can't be while pining after what could have been. Enjoy his company tonight and we'll see what happens."

"No. It's wrong. You are my husband," the boy insisted, but couldn't help but glance at the redhead.

"And I'll be right here. When I thought this present up I intended to leave you, but I soon realized that that would be impossible for me. Sharing you is hard enough, but the boy can serve us both."

"Are you sure you're not doing this for yourself?" Robin muttered, a hint of jealousy in his voice.

Slade heard it and chuckled before coming up to the young man to kiss him. Robin felt his shirt being pushed down his shoulders as the man's lips met his.

"I still don't think this is right… I don't want to betray you," Robin said softly as their lips parted. He gasped as Red answered him, standing so close behind him that he could feel the stable boy's breath on his neck.

"How about we, together, do this for your husband?" Red suggested. "I have a lot to thank him for as well, you know."

Robin looked bad at his old friend, biting his lip in thought. "So we would be pleasing him?"

"Yes."  
"Would you like that?" the young lord then asked the general.

"Very much. But remember it would please me to see you enjoying yourself as well," the man told him with a little smirk.

"Well… I guess…" Robin still hesitated. He had a feeling the priest would have plenty to say if he knew…

"Let's get you more comfortable, Sir," Red offered and helped Slade out of his jacket. Robin was still idle when the boots came off, but rushed forwards as Red started on the shirt buttons.

"I can do that!" he stated.

"Jealous?" Slade chuckled.

"A little," Robin admitted with a grin. "Besides, as your husband I should get some perks, shouldn't I?"

"You should have all of them," the general agreed with a grin.

Red snickered as well, busy removing his own clothes. Soon he was completely naked and threw out his hands in a shrug. "Well, you're joining me?" he asked.

"You have no shame in your body, do you?" Slade asked, but he sounded amused.

"Well, do you have anything to be ashamed of, Sir?" Red asked cockily.

His friend's playful attitude made Robin remember the good old days and he relaxed a little. He sank down on the floor in front of the general and, looking back at Red, grinned. "You know he doesn't," he said as he proceeded to show the stable boy some proof.

"Care to show him how to make me very happy?" Slade leered down on him.

"Yes, Sir," Robin grinned back. For once he thought he might have the upper hand over Red. The older boy had always been the one who knew more about these sorts of things, but surely he had never seen or done something like this? As Robin let his tongue play over the man's length he glanced over at Red and into his wide, green eyes. The stable boy looked quite happily surprised, though, and his body was showing definite signs of approval.

"Want to come and help me?" Robin purred.

"Oh yeah," the redhead said and joined the other boy on the floor in a flash.

Slade seemed to enjoy their attention but after a little while he took hold of Robin's chin. "I think you taught him quite well, already. Stand up, dear. You," he added to Red, "keep doing what you're doing."

As Robin stood he was drawn into another kiss and then he felt Slade's hands pushing his trousers down. Red helped from the floor and soon they were all naked.

"That's enough," Slade ordered Red, who stood up as well and smiled at Robin.

"May I kiss him?" he asked Slade.

Robin huffed. "You're my present, I say you may," he decided and pulled the young man close.

It was different. All the innocence of childhood was gone, the clumsiness clearer, leading Robin to admit that Slade had been on to something when he suggested that he'd practice with a 'man' instead. It still made his head spin however, and he deepened the kiss eagerly. As it ended he needed to feel his husband's lips as well, and pulled the man down towards himself. Slade seemed to feel he had something to prove and did it well, but Red's lips on Robin's left nipple distracted the boy a bit. He was even more distracted when the redhead resumed kneeling on the floor and warm lips closed around his weeping length.

They moved to the bed shortly afterwards and Slade instructed Red in the fine art of preparing their dark haired young lover while the man was doing the same thing to the stable boy. Red squirmed and groaned, not used to the feeling, while Robin was just enjoying himself immensely.

"Please… I need you," the young lord eventually moaned.

"Me?" Red asked carefully.

This time Robin looked to Slade. The man's face was somewhat tense but he nodded in agreement.

"Yes," Robin whispered and drew the redhead close.

"You can only have him if I can have you," Slade told the stable boy, who hesitated before he agreed. Robin nodded his consent as well, but understood Slade's reservations; it _did_ feel strange to allow your husband to be that close to someone else, even Red. Still, the pleasure took charge, drove him and he succumbed to it, gasping as Red breached him. He imagine it feeling less exciting as the stable boy was considerable smaller than his husband, but even though it felt different it was an equally good feeling. Red was also young and eager, snapping his hips forwards fast and sharp, and after angling his hips just right the thrusts set the good place inside him on fire. Robin was close to coming, way too soon, when Red suddenly stopped and gasped himself.

"Oh… god… it's… big…" he groaned.

"You can say stop," Robin promised on behalf of his husband, who probably wasn't willing to openly offer the same reprieve to the redhead.

"I can take it if you can," the young man stubbornly said, making Robin chuckle and draw him down for a kiss to distract him. He could feel Red's length softening inside him and knew that he needed something else to focus on until the discomfort went down. True enough, not long afterwards the redhead had firmed up and Robin could once again enjoy his movements.

Still, it was inevitable that the beginner wouldn't last long, leading Slade and Robin to finish together, with Red's hand around Robin's length and the young men's lips locked together.

Afterwards they all collapsed in a sweaty pile on top of the bed.

"That… was amazing…" Red gasped.

"Not bad," Slade agreed.

"We're all going to hell," Robin concluded.

"If there is one, it was worth it," the general chuckled.

"I concur," Red nodded.

"Well… maybe," the young lord had to admit in the end.

"I was thinking that Red might join us as your new valet, Robin," Slade told them. "Possibly live here as a friend of the family, although the first option would mean that no one would question what he was doing in our chambers. You'd have company when I was away, and you'll have him as well as me. Your heart will be whole. Settled?"

Robin looked over at Red and met his eyes. They shared a moment and then smiled at each other.

"Thank you," Robin started. "But no thanks."  
"What more could you possibly want?" Slade asked, frustration bubbling up in his voice.

"We could have been lovers, we know that now," Red explained, "but I think both Robin and I felt that the connection between you two is stronger. We have friendship, lust and curiosity, but you two have love."

"I still love you," Robin told Red, "but not as I love my husband," he added, smiling at Slade. "And I won't share him with anybody."

"You can keep him, my ass feels like I have a hedgehog stuck up there," Red snorted and then laughed with the other two.

"But are you sure?" Slade asked.

"Can we still keep in contact? Write to each other?" Robin wanted to know.

"And being friends will be enough?" the man wanted to make sure.

Robin and Red again looked at each other and nodded.

"Yes," they agreed. "It will."

"Then of course you can keep in touch. Red can still stay here, if..?"

"I quite like the position we discussed as groom," Red cut in. "It's time to start anew, and it's a good opportunity."

"If it doesn't turn out the way you want you can always come back, though, can't he?" Robin, who was still sad to see his friend go, asked Slade.  
"Of course," the man agreed. "So it's settled?"

"Yes."

"Good. I'd hate to share you. Nothing personal, Red."

"But you still would?" Blue eyes blinked up at the man.

"If you haven't figured it out yet, it's very little I wouldn't do to keep you and to keep you happy. Please don't take advantage of that," the man added quickly.

"Oh, I won't. Promise," Robin said so innocently that Slade groaned and Red burst out giggling.

"You have three seconds to stop ogling my husband and get out of here," Slade told him in a joking growl.

"You are a cruel man, making me leave a bed as good as this one," Red complained with a chuckle and stood up. "Ow… ow… ow…" he muttered as he gathered up his things and got dressed. "Cruel indeed," he added with a glare.

Robin just laughed at him, but now appreciated even more that Slade had taken things slowly on their wedding night. As Red left the room Robin smiled at the man and kissed him, holding him close. Slade's arms engulfed him.

"I love you," Robin whispered.

"And I you. You're the best little wife I could- OW!" The man's nose was suddenly wedged between Robin's fingers.

"One more word and I'll break it," Robin hissed.

"Husband!" Slade corrected himself with a laugh and he was finally released.

"Better," the boy sniffed.

His husband just chuckled and kissed his lips. Then his jaw. Then his neck.

"Slade, are you-? Did you want to-? Aga- Oh! Oh, I see," Robin concluded and snickered.

In the week up to New Year Robin and Red had time to make sure everything was settled between them and finally their old friendship was back full force; no hesitations, no barriers and no grief.

As they said farewell on the second of January, a few hours after the Wayne family left, Robin remembered something quite important.

"I don't have your address!" he told Red. "It was supposed to be a secret from me, and you forgot to tell me where you're going."  
"It's the Harper's residence, just three or four hour's ride from here, or so I'm told." Red smiled.

"I have the full address," Slade told him. "You're going to write him tonight, aren't you?"

"I think I will," Robin grinned,

"Maybe you should just wait until he's done and take the letter yourself. Will save me the money," Slade chuckled and then held out his hand. "Good luck, thief. Try to stay out of trouble."

"I will have to try," Red grinned and shook the man's hand. "Goodbye Sir. And thank you for everything. Including not killing me."  
"Well, I didn't live to regret it. Yet." Slade shrugged.

"There, there," Robin laughed and patted the man's arm. He then let go to hug Red before he stepped into the sleigh Slade had lent him. "Write often. Even if it's about a boy… who I already hate, by the way."

"I will. Continue to train your husband. I think you're about half way."

"I will," Robin grinned, as Slade huffed behind him.

He waved for as long as he could see the sleigh and then turned to hug his husband.

"Thank you. He was the best present you could ever have given me."

"Did it feel that good?" Slade smirked.

"Idiot," Robin sighed and rolled his eyes. "I'm not thanking you for his _body_... I'm thanking you for something much more important to me. His friendship."

 _The End_.

* * *

A/N: I wavered back and forth about the ending up until I wrote it. I had more or less decided that Red would get to stay, just as Slade suggested, but Robin just didn't agree with me… present-time Robin wouldn't have any problems, but victorian Robin? Nope. About where Red is going… it was **Cinnamontips** who in a review suggested that Speedy (Roy Harper) could hook up with Red. I hadn't considered it, since I thought Red would stay, but when he didn't, I decided to just insert the teaser about the "Harper Residence"… Why not "Queen residence"? Because I don't think the last name "queen" would have been around back then (but I didn't to extensive research on it) and it would be confusing to read as the story has a king and… yeah…

This story was about love and friendship and how alike/different those can be… I hope the last chapter highlighted that.

Now, time to review! Last chapter and all, you have to! It's the law! ;) And I have to remember to make this story as 'finished', which I probably will forget as I post this chapter, so you can remind me of that too… ;)

Future projects? I will be done with my university class in about a month, hopefully, and I won't be starting anything new before then. I kinda wanna work on an original story next, but not sure what… might be a sladin one instead… we'll see!

And before I forget: HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Love  
Wynja


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